Thursday Edition
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Price $80 February 21, 2013 - Vol. 6 No. 08 (VAT Inclusive) Online: http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com
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Bandits ambush, kill miner in home invasion - as children held hostage
Gavin McNeil
The crime scene Melissa McNeil
June Elwin
Four more containers searched, no cocaine found
Cocaine bust ...
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 21, 2013
Bandits ambush, kill miner - as children in home invasion held hostage By: Romila Boodram and Leonard Gildarie
A miner, Gavin McNeil, was last evening shot dead after bandits held his young daughters hostage, forcing their way into his McDoom, East Bank Demerara home. During the 15-minute ordeal, McNeil’s mother-inlaw, June Elwin, was badly beaten by the masked bandits and his wife, Melissa McNeil, sustained an injury to her face. She was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). It is believed that six masked men, all believed to be teenagers escaped with
more than $1M in cash and an undisclosed amount in jewelry. According to information, the 38-year-old dredge owner had only returned from the interior last Saturday. He had his operations in Siparuni, Region Eight. Last night at the family’s Lot 48 Middle Street, McDoom home, Elwin was in tears. She said that her family only moved there about eight months ago and they were warned about the area. “About 05:00pm, me, Gavin and he two daughters left to go buy Chinese food. My daughter stay home
because she has malaria. When we come back, the girls run in (back house) while Gavin was parking the vehicle and I was heading at the back,” a shaken Elwin recalled. The woman added that from a distance she heard her granddaughters shouting and when she approached, she saw the men holding the two minors at gun and knife point. They threatened to kill them if the door was not opened. “They tell me to open the door before they hurt the kids and their mother, who was inside, and I opened the grill because I had the keys and then they go in and start beating me and they chop me daughter,” the elderly woman recalled. She added: “When they finish, they run out and is then they shoot Gavin and run away.” At the scene last night, investigators were seen combing the area, searching for spent-shells. The businessman was killed at the gate of the yard, near his Toyota Vigo SUV. It is believed that the bandits
Melissa McNeil
Gavin McNeil shot him while exiting the yard. Detectives later took away the vehicle after blood stains were found in the front
seat. Neighbours were tightlipped but Kaieteur News learnt that two shots were
heard. McDoom is neighbouring to Agricola which is said to be home to some criminal elements.
DO YOU KNOW THAT JAGDEO’S BEST FRIEND IS THE ONLY PERSON IN GUYANA TO OWN THREE MEDIA HOUSES ... Radio, Television and Newspaper?
Dr. Bobby Ramroop
1) Channel 28 now TVG 28 2) A radio station - 89.5FM 3) Guyana Times newspaper
Former President Bharrat Jagdeo
Thursday February 21, 2013
Kaieteur News
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CARICOM withdraws deputy head offer to Dr. Naresh Singh - cites grave concerns over Canadian probe After days of speculation, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) yesterday confirmed that it has withdrawn its offer to Guyanese-born, Dr. Naresh Singh, to become the body’s Deputy Secretary-General. Singh reportedly resigned last week after media stories surfaced that he was being investigated by Canadian authorities for being in a possible conflict of interest situation in the handling of a Cad$23M entrepreneur training fund for the region. Yesterday, CARICOM’s Secretariat made it clear that Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque, has taken steps to “repudiate” the offer. CARICOM said that it made an offer to Dr. Singh for the post of Deputy SecretaryGeneral consequent upon requisite checks. “This candidate had been proposed by the SecretaryGeneral in accordance with the recruitment process for Executive Management of the Secretariat. Subsequent
to the offer and Dr. Singh’s acceptance of that offer, information came to light regarding certain allegations against Dr. Singh which had been the subject of a confidential investigation by the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, which is an independent Agency of the Parliament of Canada.” The statement from the Secretariat expressed grave concerns of the findings by both CARICOM and the Secretary-General. The Deputy SecretaryGeneral post is the second most powerful executive position in CARICOM, a regional trade and integration body which has its headquarters in Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. The position was held by Lolita Applewhaite who retired this month. Last week, it was revealed that the Canadian-based executive was being investigated. There were immediate questions as to how
thorough the background checks were by the Guyana government in this particular case when it gave its “no objection” to Singh being appointed to that position at CARICOM. Minister RodriguesBirkett explained that the “no objection” was a formality and came following a request by Secretary General Irwin La Rocque. She said that Guyana was not involved in the nomination. For the conflict of interest situation, the Canadian Government has reportedly since ordered a hold on payments for the $23.2M Caribbean Local Economic Development (CARILED) Programme of which Singh was the Programme Director. Last August, the Ministry of Local Government here signed an agreement with Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) that would see the administrations in Regions Two, Three, Four and Six receiving training to deal with residents who are interested in establishing and expanding businesses. At the event were Local
Mystery fire destroys Grove property
The destroyed building Four people were left homeless after fire of unknown origin destroyed a two-storey house at Second Street Grove, East Bank Demerara around 01:30 hrs yesterday. A woman living near to the property said that her daughter heard an explosion and then saw the
building on fire. According to the woman, the residents were unable to save anything. She said that three people occupied the top flat and one male occupant lived in the bottom flat. The building was already fully ablaze when a fire tender arrived on the scene and
firefighters were only able to prevent the flames from spreading to other properties. But some residents lamented the fact that there is no fire station nearby. Up to late yesterday Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle said that investigators were still trying to ascertain the cause of the fire.
Dr. Naresh Singh Government’s Permanent Secretary, Collin Croal, Minister Ganga Persaud and Canadian Ambassador to Guyana, David Devine. Managing the project was Singh and CARILED. But he reportedly resigned from his post at the FCM last week Monday, after the international media tried to reach him for an interview. According to a CBC report from Canada, Singh was a former executive with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) who was at the centre of a recent whistleblower watchdog report. He reportedly left CIDA in the midst of an audit probe. However, there are questions about how he was
CARICOM’s Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque hired to manage the multimillion CARILED programme which was funded by CIDA, his former employer. This is the alleged conflict of interest that is now the subject of a probe. Canada’s International Co-operation Minister, Julian Fantino, has since referred the case to the public sector integrity commissioner. “It has come to my attention that a former CIDA employee may have been in a conflict of interest,” Fantino said in a press release on Thursday. On Thursday, the FCM sent an email to CBC News confirming that Singh
resigned from the FCM. According to media reports on the issue, Singh sparked an investigation at CIDA after he allegedly used office resources such as fax machines and a government email address to conduct private business. The executive also allegedly recruited administrative staff to assist in the job, which essentially was consulting with the private sector on the same subject matter the individual worked on in government. An investigation, which covered two years of records, confirmed the allegations. The executive reportedly left the agency while the investigations were underway. Singh reportedly has an impressive background and was chosen as director of CARILED, earning C’dn$100,000 per year, plus significant travel allowances. He was appointed to that position on February 1, 2012 and began a series of trips to the countries covered by the project, where in some cases he was received by ministers. Sometimes he was even accompanied by Canadian diplomats or officials from CIDA - the organization he had left a few months earlier.
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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
When no one is exempt from the law The Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He is perhaps the most important religious leader in the world. He is so powerful that up until an English King, Henry VIII who wanted to get married after divorcing an earlier wife, no one could divorce. It was the very early 16th Century. King Henry later sought to have the marriage to Anne Boleyn annulled. At the time the Pope was Pope Clement VII who refused to grant the King divorce, thus forcing Catholic England to become Protestant to this day. Despite that break, the Pope remained the religious leader with the largest following. He is so great and revered that at the time of his death there is no postmortem; he presides over his own country which is the Vatican City; he is an international powerbroker as was demonstrated during the World Wars; he has his own army and his security detail is better than that provided for most heads of government. Arguably, he is the most powerful man on earth. When he speaks world leaders listen. Usually he dies in office but in this case he has opted to demit office because as he claims, he cannot cope with the pressures of work. And it is here that the world will suddenly see the pope as a human being. Now there is talk of prosecuting him because he is accused of withholding information on the priests who sodomised young boys. This was a scandal that rocked the church to its core. Many priests were defrocked but most were simply shifted around to continue with the molestation. The criminal prosecutors are now going after the pope. Another powerful man who walks the earth is the president of the United States. But even he is not immune from prosecution. One President, Richard Nixon was almost impeached for breaching the law as it pertained to spying on his opposition. That became known as the Watergate Scandal. The president had to demit office. On a lesser scale millionaires have gone to jail. In the Caribbean there was Alan Stanford who is still in jail facing the prospect of never walking among free men again. Bernard Madoff is serving a sentence that guarantees that he will never leave jail. Long is the list of prominent people who have gone to jail. In Guyana there was the remigrant officer who was made to face the courts but he died before he could go to trial; there was the Minister who died not long after he was found guilty of malfeasance in public office; there was the Deputy Chief Education Officer who served five years in jail for exercise book fraud. However, all that happened nearly four decades ago. But it continues to happen in other countries where no one is above the law. People are sanctioned. A man behaves like a boor on an aircraft just this week because a baby happened to be crying. He is out of a job and he faces prosecution. It matters not what he might be or who he might know. Should this be the case in Guyana the country would be so much better off because people in public office would then work for the people they are hired to serve. If they dare to demand bribes then they know that once caught they would be destroyed. They would be better persons. We have had cases of Government officials discharging loaded firearm that were not even being properly investigated. The police would say that he is closely connected to the government. The same official is involved in a vehicular accident that leaves a man crippled. Again faulty investigation leads to the victim being identified as the person in the wrong. The modus of arresting the driver in an accident and even detaining him overnight or for days is waived here. An official is accused of being involved in a remigrant fraud; he is sent on leave and later returned to his job. People are caught in the midst of a fraud and are transferred as was the case of two Regional Executive Officers who continued with their fraudulent activities. In Guyana some people are above the law.
Thursday February 21, 2013
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters...
Foreign governments and businesses are reaping two sweet out of one joint DEAR EDITOR, On this matter of giving away our jobs, the people are heavily relying on the media to hold the government accountable because the government wishes it didn’t have to answer to us. It is unfortunate the PPP has sunk to a new low in an effort to wriggle out of selling our birthright to foreigners. The PPP should be asked to provide the law and migrant convention highlighting the sections allowing a government to hire foreign workers in preference of nationals when such jobs were not advertised or the local population denied priority. Were they asked to do this, they would be singing a different tune. Even though the government claims it has a policy to attract skills, it needs to tell us what skills it is seeking to attract that we do not have. This government can only think and function best when it cries racism and creates smokescreens to hide its nefarious actions. It is arrant nonsense on the part of Gail Teixeira and Anil Nandlall to accuse Guyanese of racism and anti-nationalism when all we are demanding is the right to work and as Guyanese, we be given preferential treatment. If the PPP is using the race and anti-national tactics in their bottom-house meetings
I hope their supporters are not allowing the party’s bigwigs to insult their intelligence by having them feel it is okay for their families to be unemployed when their money is being used to fund these projects. Being pro-Guyanese does not make us racist or antinational and there are Guyanese of Chinese extraction whom we share a relationship of camaraderie, and of which the PPP is now trying to manufacture a division. The only anti-national here is the PPP government who is clearly showing it doesn’t care about Guyana and Guyanese and is not ashamed to cry wolf when it is garbed in the outfit. If the other projects may have escaped public scrutiny or outcries as is happening now does not make the situation right. It is scary the PPP makes claim to an immigration policy that allows it to attract overseas skills already existing in Guyana and pay out our money to foreigners, but they have no immigration policy that would see Guyanese going and work in certain industries and return their earnings to Guyana. How convenient that the government ignores this policy utlised by sister CARICOM countries in the hotel and agriculture industries. To the government’s point that
Guyanese are working overseas, these workers are working under different categories. They were forced to migrate because there are no jobs or they had to work under poor conditions, normal migration, transferred technology, CSME free movement of skills, or doing jobs the host countries’ workers refuse to. Have the PPP show us how many projects, if any, that are funded by the taxpayers of Russia, China and India and their governm e n t s g a v e f i r s t p r e f e rence to foreigners when their people are willing and able to do the jobs. This is the crux of the matter. It is made even more glaring when you look at the ratio of
Guyanese needing jobs or have the skills to do the job a n d are being denied opportunities to work compared to those that are being imported to do the jobs funded by Guyanese. The foreign governments and businesses are reaping two sweet out of one joint. They are making sure a hefty sum of the money they loan Guyana sees immediate repatriation by having their people do the jobs and later having Guyanese repay the loans. The government needs to stop its embarrassing excuses and selling out our birthright for a few pieces of silver in somebody’s pocket. Leslie Gonsalves President, GB&GWU and Region 10 Councillor
Anti-corruption measures taken by Chinese authorities DEAR EDITOR, A Reuters story caught my attention which I thought of sharing with readers. It has to do with anti-corruption measures taken by Chinese authorities, which included a ban on advertisements for expensive gifts such as watches and jewellery as part of a push by the government to crackdown on extravagance and waste. Such advertisements, officials felt, ‘publicized incorrect values and helped create a bad social ethos’. Only recently, the Chinese government banned civil servants from splurging on boozy banquets and fancy cars and from accepting costly gifts. Hydar Ally
Thursday February 21, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Broadcast regulations must be done to satisfy the public’s interest, not for political gain DEAR EDITOR, Who exactly does the government think we are? Complete fools? P.M. Sam Hinds is now telling us that the Chinese are not allocated a licence notwithstanding that they occupy a spot on our electromagnetic spectrum since they are using a Guyana frequency space which was allocated to NCN! Really, Mr. Hinds, is this all the respect you have for the people in this country? If this frequency was given to NCN even though no licences were to be given until the broadcast authority is formed as agreed between Jagdeo and Hoyte since 2001,but let us say that this frequency is properly allocated to NCN, they cannot just use it to put the Chinese on the air since they would be usurping the functions of the Broadcast Authority who are the only ones authorised to make such a determination and the new broadcast act [deficient as it is in so many ways] does say that if that is what they intended to do, they would have to get permission from the Broadcast authority, which of course they never did. I am afraid that we have lost this battle, I will not go into the reasons why I think so, the public already knows, it’s reflected in every letter I see in the newspapers, but on naming the authority, Mr. Ramotar named six people who can never be independent or impartial, and the opposition was only allowed to name one. Such a bill cannot be entertained. After being named, the new Authority then announced that the broadcasters then on the air immediately apply to
become broadcasters under this new act. People kept asking me why they have to apply again. My answer is simple. By applying they are in fact agreeing to several things, some of which have not yet been determined, i.e. what criteria will be used to determine who can and who cannot be a broadcaster. Will the findings of the bipartisan board agreed to by the government and the opposition be honoured? The act does have conditions but there are contradictions. What role will the opposition play in such a situation? By applying, they are agreeing to the method of selection of this lopsided broadcasting authority which will never be independent or autonomous, and they are agreeing to pay, as a fee to the authority, a certain percentage of their gross annual income of the previous year, without knowing how much that percentage will be; they are agreeing to give the government a certain amount of free airtime every week, to broadcast government propaganda, without knowing what yardstick will be used to determine the amount of time per week and the type of material they will have to broadcast, and there are numerous other conditions which, by applying to this authority, they are giving tacit agreement to conditions without knowing exactly what those conditions will be since they have not yet been determined. Hugh Cholmondeley used to call it the cart before the horse.
This plan the opposition has, which is to leave this bill in place and modify it bit by bit over time, is a certain path to disaster. They should repeal this entire bill now and in its place produce two bills to save time - the first one will be more important and can be drafted in just a few days and it should outline the way we will establish a more equitable way to select the members of an i n d e p e n d e n t a u t h o rity which can represent all the special interest groups, and after selecting a truly autonomous and independent authority of knowledgeable people, they will then come up with all of the conditions which will regulate broadcasting. The persons identified in this Jagdeo authority have no idea or expertise in this matter and to date, predictably,are simply a conduit and a rubber stamp which has allowed to be put in place 10 radio licences so far issued to friends of the PPP and Jagdeo, and the Chinese channel, CCTV, all of which are improperly and illegally granted. The following is contained in UNESCO’s ‘Guidelines for Broadcasting Regulation’ in a democracy. It’s the second edition by Eve Salomon, an international media consultant with particular experience in broadcasting and press regulation. She was Director of Legal Services at the UK Radio Authority and is a member of the UK’s Press Complaints Commission. This work was done for UNESCO and can be found on the internet at http:// unesdoc.unesco.org/images/
Dear Editor, Quite to my delight the Children’s Road Mash 2013 was wonderful. However, there are still recurring situations that are not yet taken into consideration all these years later. Three children from the National School of Dance fainted, when rushed to the Georgetown Hospital, they were dehydrated, a sad situation. It is time that we are proactive and not reactive, this is the 21st century, and we’re on this big tourism mambo. Therefore I suggest the following:-
(a) Supplies of Water – water (not very cold) should be provided along the parade route. We have enough manufacturers of water in this country, not to have an adequate supply for the participants on that day. At least four points on Middle and Lamaha Streets on each side of those streets, and two point on Camp Street. (b) Portable Toilets – one of the reasons for the children being dehydrated was because they were afraid to imbibe, as there was no place to get rid of the natural waste. With all these suppliers of portable toilets, I am sure that donations can be solicited in
this regard. (c) Medical Personnel – at least two such personnel should accompany each group (depending on the size), and be readily identifiable with adequate medical supplies. In tandem, medical tents on each street along the parade route, i.e. Middle, Camp and Lamaha Streets, and a clearly identifiable medical booth with adequate personnel in the National Park, because when the children fainted in the National Park there wasn’t medical personnel available, nor a medical booth. (Name and address provided)
The Children’s Road Mash 2013 was wonderful, but…
0018/001832/183285e.pdf At 2.21.1 Means of appointment: we are told that “It is vital for members of a broadcasting regulatory authority to be able to function free from any interference or pressure from political or economic forces. Therefore the means of appointment should be set out clearly in law and should be done in a democratic and transparent manner”. The new independent authority I propose must, after a reasonable period of consultation with the opposition, religious groups, women’s groups, the private sector and civil society organisations, including trade unions etc., come up with a complete and reasonable list of all of the conditions which a person must abide by in order to broadcast in Guyana. This is what I understand Trinidad is doing. We have in this country people like Kit Nascimento who can be retained as a consultant to help the authority make these
regulations. I urge the opposition to embark on this path as being the only one which makes sense; since by the time they act on the path they have embarked on, it will most certainly be too late. I maintain that this is a better method of attacking this problem, since whilst the opposition is modifying the Broadcast Bill currently in place, the PPP can do whatever mischief it wants, and it can do a lot since its representatives no regard for their own laws, and which would be difficult if not impossible to undo later. I fear that by the time they act, so many licences will be awarded to PPP friends and supporters that it will be impossible for the opposition to conduct a legitimate election in this country. Also, notwithstanding that the electromagnetic spectrum is a finite national resource, the authority is
obligated to ensure that this country can afford the advertising revenue to finance 20 radio stations since the first 10 stations were awarded to supporters of the PPP and friends of Jagdeo, then the next 10 must be awarded to the people who support the opposition. This regulatory body when installed and before they commence granting licences for either TV or Radio must have studies done to determine how many stations the various markets [Demerara, Essequibo, Berbice] can support, since it is in no one’s interest to have too many radio stations and TV stations which, by virtue of the limited Guyana advertising pie, will not properly serve the public’s interest, convenience and necessity. At all times, broadcast regulations must be done to satisfy the public’s interest, and not for political gain which has happened in this case. Tony Vieira
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 21, 2013
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
I am disappointed that Mr. Kissoon did not address the salient points in my letter DEAR EDITOR, Mr. Freddie Kissoon, in his letter, “The imbalance in the ethnic balance advocacy” (KN, 17-02-13), branded me as an “Indian Supremacist”, and a “PPP supporter”. Martin Luther King Jr., the Black evangelical, born-again Christian has been my hero and inspiration – and was called worst names. I am not thwarted by name-calling; rather, false caricatures embolden me, as I speak with what I feel is Truth on my side. With regards to being a PPP supporter, let me make it clear that I have never voted for the PPP, even though the late Satyadeo Sawh, former Minister with the PPP, was my first cousin. I do, however, happen to think that the PPP is a better political party than the PNC, going by history. I voted for the WPA, and was an enthusiastic supporter of the AFC. Mr. Kissoon asked in his letter if I believe in God. Let me answer this question simply and clearly: yes, “I believe in God the Father Almighty…”; check out the Apostles’ Creed. Mr. Kissoon is all agog if I ever thought that when I open my mouth, that God would strike me down. Oh, Freddie, I am not sure what your concepts of God are, but the true and living God that I love and serve is full of compassion; his mercies are ever true; they are new every morning; great is his faithfulness! So when awful sinners such as the Bhagwans and the Kissoons lapse, they can prostrate themselves at the foot of the cross. When they truly repent, God will pave the way for them. God is beckoning – even now – for all to come to him! I agree with Mr. Kissoon that God would be much kinder to him than Mr. Vassan Ramracha or me (or any other human ever could), for only God is truly good. God is holy, just and full of grace and truth. And whether Mr. Kissoon believes it or not, God has overwhelmed me with his love, and has caused me to want to love all,
including my perceived or real enemies. As a person, I have nothing against Mr. Kissoon; at heart, I do believe that he wants peace and progress in the country, and loves Guyana to the core. As a journalist, however, I scoff at untruth, disinformation and exaggeration that he peddles virtually day after day. Poor Freddie – he feels that Devanand Bhagwan is such an “obnoxious” sinner because this Bhagwan guy has been coming up with egregious and contemptible statements and figures that are unscrupulously ignoble. You see, Bhagwan has been bursting his statistical balloon. Kissoon “meet ‘e meeter”! This “footnote” has re-emerged to make outlandish statements, and it has thrown the mouther off balance. Mr. Kissoon has been splashing statistics carelessly and ludicrously – you’d think (maybe he thinks) he is the King Tut of stats; maybe we should give him the name King Stut! If Mr. Kissoon is right in that Salem Church officials would give him (an avowed atheist) a greater welcome than me (a brother in Christ), it reflects the sad truth that has plagued the Christian church in Guyana over the past two decades or so. Many Christians (especially evangelicals) have chosen to side with the world and demand what is ‘good’ for them, rather than what is good in the sight of God. This was very clear in the recent Linden debacle, where Christian leaders were repugnant in their rants and demands; the raucous ensued was anything but Christian. As I stated in an earlier letter, “the abusive language, the vituperative tone of voice and the vulgar uttering of those identifying themselves as followers of Jesus are a mockery to the Christian faith and derision on the Lord’s name. It was shocking to hear the raucous atmosphere of those gathered to air their grievances in the name of Christ. You’d think that that
cacophonous disposition was that of the woeful, ignorant heathen. The anger, the hate, the diabolic gestures were not concomitant with the Christian faith”. I’ve spoken with influential evangelical leaders in Georgetown, as well as some on the East and West Coasts of Demerara. The racism that surfaces in their conversation is deep while they masquerade a facade that all is good and well on the racial front in Guyana. There is a need for Christians to stand up for what they think is the truth, thereby being Salt and Light. I trust that my two cents worth of opinion propel good people (from all convictions) to bring to the fore facts and feelings of justice and injustice. Standing up for what one thinks is truth comes with a cost. For me, I’ve been branded as an “Indian Supremacist!” (By the way, I reject that title – afforded by the affable Freddie. Suffice it
to say that I have never thought that Indians are supreme or superior to any race). Mr. Kissoon was blatantly dishonest in his comments on my letter. He used quotation marks by saying that Bhagwan wrote, “While some are sleep from their late night dance, Indians get up early in the morning and start to wuk haad to feed themselves and their families”. Mr. Kissoon is well versed in the world of libel, and so he should know that he is sitting on dangerous ground to so misquote a person. Mr. Kissoon substituted the word “they”, with “Indians”. Such dishonesty, Mr. Kissoon, is defamatory and libellous! Mr. Kissoon deliberately, knowingly and purposely exaggerated the statement to make it appear ‘racial’ and ‘supremacist’. Such an abberation could be excused for an ordinary writer, but it is inexcusable for an academic (former University
lecturer), and journalist, to commit such a blatant faux pas. Yes, there are those who love to sport late at night, including Indians, and those who wake up early in the morning to start their work, including Indians. Perhaps King Stut could give us some median numbers of the ethnic peoples of Guyana who sleep and rise when; that should not be too difficult! Mr. Kissoon asserted, “I believe in ethnic balance in all things in Guyana including, the public service, the police force, business places, investments, financial houses, property ownership, land ownership, awards of contracts, commerce and the retail trade etc.” Is that statement supposed to be a joke? If so, tickle me! Take the last 10 years - the columnist fired approximately 3,650 missives (missiles?) in the media. How many of those referred to in any way, shape or form, the (racial) imbalance in the public
service and police force? How many spoke of the Amerindian or Indian plight? Virtually none, I surmise; so much for Mr. Kissoon’s outlandish view of balance! I am disappointed that this intellectual letter writer did not address the salient points in my letter – which hovers on the composition of ethnic peoples in the country, and the need to address the racial question more universally. Instead, Mr. Kissoon has wallowed into the dirty cesspool of which ethnic group caused which problems. Have fun, Freddie, but I refuse to descend to that depth in getting into an ugly, senseless, uncivilized and childish racial slugfest. Editor, I implore you to control the uttering of Mr. Kissoon. His meandering and pronouncements are downright dangerous, and incites racial hatred between ethnic peoples of the country; the matter should not be taken lightly. Devanand Bhagwan
Disease epidemics arising from the garbage situation in the city would have grave consequences for the entire country DEAR EDITOR, I am dumbfounded by the apparent bestiality behind the perverse thinking of individuals who would wish that a health crisis would arise in the city of Georgetown. What would it take to convince the relevant authorities that the obscene accumulation of rotting garbage in our Capital represents many foreboding health risks? Not only do citizens have to put up with a variety of obnoxious odours that arise from the ubiquitous mounds of putrid organic matter, but much worse are the nuisances caused by the ever-increasing hordes of flies, mosquitoes and vermin. I have recently heard of an incident in which rats nibbled the feet of a diabetic. Further, a not too insignificant
portion of some citizens’ disposable incomes (and the State’s meager foreign reserves), is being used up in futile attempts to achieve some measure of relief. Any primary school graduate would know that fleas, flies, mosquitoes and rodents are the vectors of diseases such as typhoid, malaria, and the plague or ‘black death’. Despite a variety of actions to destroy its historic character, Georgetown remains the “principal axis” around which all of Guyana revolves. An epidemic of any one of these or other diseases would not only overwhelm our inadequate health services, but would also have grave economic and social consequences throughout the length and breadth of the entire nation. From all accounts, it would appear that the City Council of Georgetown is up against a stacked deck. Efforts by City Council to broaden its revenue base so that it can more effectively discharge its mandate have been frustrated or stymied for years. Besides, the ultimate solution to the problems of urban environmental health is beyond Council’s mandate. It would require a multi-sector approach, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education
and the Ministry of the Environment. But, where is the leadership? Could the assistance of the Courts be sought in an effort to resolve the current impasse between the City Council and the Ministry of Local Government? Is there any civic organization that would initiate a lawsuit on behalf of the citizens of Georgetown with the aim of expediting some form of relief from this most formidable health threat? Further, does this recurring impasse demand a more strategically located
IMC that would have a more effective impact on the development of our emergent democracy? Could communities be permitted to freely determine ‘how’ they will manage their local affairs? If a “health crisis in Georgetown” is “manufactured”, then it would most certainly be a pyrrhic victory. There will be no winners - only losers. The ensuing epidemics will not discriminate between government and opposition supporters. All will be at risk! Clarence O. Perry
On the subject of plagiarism DEAR EDITOR, On the subject of plagiarism. It seems to me that plagiarism is more than “unacknowledged borrowing” of the ideas and writings of others: it is stealing those ideas and writings. I think it may be widely acknowledged that ‘internet-based material is by definition public property’, but it seems mean to try to take the credit for someone else’s hard work, probably involving hours of research. Years ago, on a course of study with a distance learning institution, we students were warned in writing that plagiarism would be treated as a serious offence and dealt with accordingly. Students must always acknowledge sources. As I recall, plagiarism was defined as ‘quoting more than six consecutive words’ from other authors’ published work without attributing the sources. Students took this warning very seriously and there was never a problem. Geralda Dennison
Thursday February 21, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 21, 2013
TSC dismisses 138 teachers in 2012 Last year, the Guyana Teaching Service Commission (TSC) dismissed 138 teachers. Of that number, 134 had their services terminated because they left the system without submitting the requisite notice. The others were dismissed for other reasons. These statistics were disseminated to the media in a press release by TSC yesterday but did not state how many teachers who had
their services terminated were trained teachers or trained graduate teachers. According to the release, the Commission executed its constitutional authority to appoint, promote and discipline teachers in 2012. “As a consequence, the Commission appointed 659 junior teachers, made 315 Senior Promotions, disciplined 34 teachers and dismissed 138,” TSC said. It was noted that the Disciplinary Committee of the
Commission dealt with 34 complaints about the behaviour of teachers who broke the Code of Conduct and were inappropriate. TSC stated that some teachers were interdicted from duty and in extreme cases were dismissed. “Some were found guilty of sexual misdemeanors including touching/fondling of students, child abuse specifically emotional abuse, vulgar/ inappropriate
RDC councilor bemoan ferry travel from Suriname The service on the Canawaima Ferry that plies the Guyana/Suriname route leaves much to be desired especially when it rains. The vessel has more than an inch of water on the deck, according to Regional Democratic Councillor (RDC), Wazeer Latiff. He explained that while returning from Suriname Sunday night the ferry did not leave on time which added to the disgust; that passengers were unable to sit on seats
provided because it rained. However, he noted that the Customs and Immigration officers are performing their duties accordingly and “I am recommending a shutter made out of Pauling to slide on the unprotected side of the passengers sitting areas; since when it rains it can be put in place and it can be pulled and tied in a corner. The boat should make way for the water to immediately drain off deck when it rains.” After the Guyana-
Suriname Ferry Service was launched on November 1, 1998, through a 20M Euro European Union project, the government declared illegality to the speedboat services that plied the Corentyne River to and from Suriname. Presidents Janet Jagan and Jules Wijdenbosch commissioned the MV Canawaima Ferry Service. That service operates twice daily with a few exclusions on certain holidays and days of the week.
behaviour in school, and inappropriate relationships with students. Pornography reared its ugly head among teachers and elicited a zero tolerance approach from the Commission,” TSC related. Teachers were also disciplined for neglecting their duties. TSC noted that yearly a large number of teachers attend the University of Guyana (UG) to improve their knowledge and upgrade their status in the profession. The Commission said that while it is happy when a teacher upgrades his/her qualification, a number of teachers do not apply for releases to attend UG as is required by the Ministry of Education. Thus in some schools, classes are left unattended, and this forces the Ministry of Education to take corrective action. And, this sometimes leads to teachers having to be disciplined for neglect of duty or irregularity by the Teaching Service Commission. While 39 teachers resigned, 347 secondary school graduates were appointed as teachers at the junior level, and 226 trained
class-one grade-one teachers and 86 class-three from the pre-service programme at the Cyril Potter College of Education (C.P.C.E.) were added to the list. TSC said that the inservice programme from C.P.C.E. produced 245 trained class-one grade-one, and 30 class-three teachers were appointed to schools, but were already counted as teachers within the system. Expounding on the appointment of teachers, TSC stated that over the past few years, there were many applicants with 10 or more Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate passes with Grades One to Four, but who had passes lower than grade Three in English Language and Mathematics. It was noted that a pass of grade Three and higher in English Language and Mathematics is compulsory for appointment as a Temporary Qualified Master/ Mistress. TSC related that some vacancies for junior appointments were unfilled for numerous reasons including lack of eligible applicants in specific technical fields living within or
close to some schools; applicants had passes in technical fields but were deficient in English and to a lesser extent, Mathematics; unavailability of housing in some riverain areas; and persons finding great difficulty in travelling long distances to reach some schools. “The Senior Promotion Vacancy Notice 2012, published at the request of the Ministry of Education, and accompanied by the “Criteria for Promotion 2012” attracted 658 applicants; from this number 315 senior promotions were made,” the release stated. The Commission is now commencing the processing of applications for Senior Promotions 2013. TSC related that visits were made to a number of Regions during 2012 and discussions were held with Regional Officials and Education Staff. The main purpose was to interface with teachers in the Regions. The visits allowed TSC to meet staff of identified schools, address clusters of teachers, listen to concerns and offer advice where necessary.
Mother of Guyanese beach-slay victim received eerie text from daughter (New York Daily News) In the cryptic message, Marisha Cheong told her mother Bibi Ali ‘Mom am fine,’ but never followed up with further messages after her disappearance. Ali believes Cheong’s live-in boyfriend knows more about her disappearance. Marisha Cheong was found dead, with her hands and feet bound. Her mother believes her live-in boyfriend, Latchman Balkaran, hasn’t revealed everything he knows about her disappearance in December. “Mom am fine,” said the cryptic message from Marisha Cheong’s phone sent hours after the 24-yearold went missing on December 19. “I just need little time to think. Am good.” But Bibi Ali believes the text came from someone who
had a hand in her daughter’s death. “ I t ’s n o t h e r, ” t h e mourning mother insisted Tuesday. “I know in my heart it wasn’t from her. She never addressed me as ‘mom’. Wherever we are, whatever it was, she called me ‘mommy.’” In more than a dozen heartbreaking messages that followed, Ali begged Cheong to call her. “Marisha call me I love u please call me,” wrote Ali that evening, the day Cheong was last seen following a fight with her live-in boyfriend. But her desperate pleas were never answered. Cheong’s bruised body washed ashore in the Rockaways on Saturday, close to the Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. She was wearing a pair of pajamas and
one black Ugg boot. Her hands and feet were bound with rope. The city’s medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of death. Cops have interviewed Latchman Balkaran, 26, Cheong’s boyfriend. They have not named him a suspect. Still, Ali maintains that Balkaran is hiding something. “Every time somebody talks to him he has a different story,” Ali said. “I don’t understand why they think I would do something like that,” Balkaran told The News on Monday. “They know how I am.” Ali also said that police are examining surveillance video captured near Cheong’s Jamaica home the day she went missing. It shows a woman escorting Cheong out of her house, Ali
Marisha Cheong and live-in boyfriend, Latchman Balkaran in happier times. said. Funeral plans remain in limbo. Police have yet to turn over Cheong’s body to her
family. And her father, who lives in Guyana, is trying to travel to the U.S. For the moment, Ali is
grieving alone. “I’m supposed to be marrying off my daughter,” she said, “not burying her.”
Thursday February 21, 2013
Kaieteur News
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REMOVE THE BULLIES So you think that there is too much hostility, animosity and aggressiveness in our Parliament? Try our schools! In Parliament, the personal vendettas are not hidden. Parliamentarians make no bones about how they feel about the other side from across from where they sit. They heckle; they taunt and they even force the Speaker by their ungentlemanly conduct to walk out on his own House. And when the sitting is over, the battles are continued in the media. One parliamentarian even complained about uncomplimentary comments in the lunch room. It is not easy being a member of the National Assembly but most members look forward to attending sittings. The same cannot be said of all the children in our schools. There are many children who wish they could roll back the years so that they could once again return to the joys of school life. But there is a silent majority of children who hate every minute spent in school. And the reason why these children dread going to school is because they are often picked upon, taunted, bullied and insulted. And you think it was only in parliament these things happened. There is far more violence in some
schools than there can ever be in the entire life of our parliament. Some children are so fearful of what will happen to them at the hands of some of their peers that they often cannot sleep at nights. They are anxious about their fate. School is one hard labour camp where they are subject to abuse. Sometimes it is at the hands of one child. Sometimes, it is at the hands of gangs or groups of their friends. The victim does not know what to do. If they dare to complain, they are fearful of being met with more abuse including possible serious violence. So each day, they go through mental torture in an institution that is supposed to make them better persons. If they stay away from school, their parents would be worried and begin to ask questions and the truth will have to be told and this may mean further abuse by those whom they will have to complain about. They may even be physically injured and these days weapons are being found in schools. There are children who have their monies taken away by bullies in school. There are children whose lunch is eaten for them each day without their consent. There are children who have to bring money each day for some
Dem boys seh...
GRA do good and hold wood Success has many parents but failure is an orphan. That is one old saying. Dem got another one. Who do good hold wood. Well de people who mek de cocaine bust really hold wood and is good wood. De scanner show up something and de people decide to hold up dem container but dem watch to see who gun tun up to check. When dem search dem boys hear that was CANU. But de dust hardly settle before other people claim how is dem find de cocaine. De Forestry people seh that is dem find de cocaine but dem is de same people who claim that de people mek illegal shipments out of de country. De police claim how dem see de people drilling hole in de wood but dem didn’t seh nutten because dem was watching. But is Khurshid who put out a statement and mek de biggest claim. He claim how since January he keep de containers fuh check again because he suspect something was wrang. He then claim that he find de cocaine. Well dem boys seh that is like a nice woman. All dem man who she talk to does claim how dem know she good. Dem does boast and every chance dem get dem does try fuh walk and show off. But as soon as de news come that de woman sick wid something all dem men does suddenly pretend dem don’t know de woman, that was joke dem was mekking. De cocaine is like de nice woman; all de people like how she look and dem want to be associated wid she. Now dem boys waiting fuh see wha gun happen. Dem know that nuff time people find cocaine some of de cocaine does end up back wid de people who had it in de first instance. Khurshid seh that he people know that does happen suh he call everybody fuh weigh de cocaine and count how much package. But dem did do de same thing when dem fetch cocaine fuh tender and court and cocaine disappear. That was de police and to this day people still looking fuh de missing cocaine. Talk half and look fuh more wood.
other child or face abuse. There are children who have their personal possessions from pencils to cell phones taken away. And there are many who are hit and pushed down for no reason at all. This happens in both the private and public schools. This abuse is not a product of the school system. The bullies bring these traits from home. It is imported behaviour and it must be rooted out. The problem is how does one root out something that cannot easily be detected. Most teachers are not trained to look out for the warning signals. Most of them do not see a problem in the child who stays by himself or herself, who is withdrawn or who is disturbed in school. The teachers often feel that this is the child’s natural personality
and never suspect that it may be because of bullying. Some children live with the memory of abuse long after they would have graduated from school. Some try to forget; some go to their graves with the secret of being bullied and otherwise abused in schools. Others strangely come to accept the insults, the taunts, the beatings and the dispossession of their belongings as part of school life. It should not be. This past week a school child died after reportedly suffering from blunt trauma at the school he attends. It is said that he may have been pushed down. His death should be an occasion to bring an end to all forms of abuse in our school system. Last week the women of Guyana rose up to
deplore violence against their sex; it is time for parents to say that they would no longer tolerate bullies in schools. There should be an end to this form of abuse, those parents who cannot control their children, who cannot stop them from bullying other children, taking away their belongings or blackmailing them for money and items should be asked to make alternative arrangements for the education of their children. If a child is a bully; if he or she cannot control his or her aggression; if he or she cannot exercise restraint, then that child should not be allowed to interfere with the education of others. This is not advocating that the “bad eggs” be dumped. With the support of his or her parents and
teachers, the errant child should be given an opportunity to change. But if it is found that the behaviour persists after numerous warnings, then that child has to be transferred to a special school trained to deal with such errant behaviour. The Ministry of Education has to be firm on this. Regardless of the policy of no one being left behind, when it comes to ill-trained children who make the life of others a living nightmare, marching orders would be in order. Now this is a topic worthy of an opposition parliamentary motion.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 21, 2013
=== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ===
When autocrats used the most sacred words in the dictionary of freedom I did a compilation of all the speeches of every PPP Member of Parliament since the Tenth Parliament convened. It is outside the scope of this column to reproduce this mountain of rhetoric because of space constraint. In any case this is not the purpose of this article. What I have intended to do is to offer a synopsis of the PPP’s use of the dictionary of democracy in its accusation of dictatorship against the parliamentary opposition of APNU and AFC. If a human, just as intelligent as Homo sapiens, were to come from another planet and examine this
charge of dictatorship against the majority opposition in the National Assembly by the PPP parliamentarians, the most compelling conclusion would be that an almost perfect government, perhaps one of the most democratic in the world, is being confronted for unjustified reasons and hounded down by an undemocratic opposition. That human from outer space, after examining the extensive and intensive vocabulary of freedom by the PPP with its accompanying resort to democratic terminologies, could only conclude that in the impasse between the PPP on the one
hand and the combined opposition on the other in 2013, is about the good, the PPP versus the evil, the APNU/AFC. The Machiavellian irony is that it is the reverse in reality. Every sacred adjective, every passionate noun in the dictionary of justice have been used by the parliamentarians of the PPP to condemn the AFC and APNU on all the action in the Tenth Parliament done by the opposition. The list includes the choice of the Speaker, the numerical composition of every conceivable committee, the downsizing of certain
items in the 2012 national budget, the motions passed by the opposition, the amendment to Bills passed by the oppositi on, and the no-confidence motion against Clement Rohee. Every democratic sentiment was conjured up by the PPP parliamentary bloc to denounce the AFC and APNU. The opposition has been called racist, antiworking class, dictatorial, disrespectful of the rule of law, in violation of the Constitution, in contempt of court, contemptuous of principles and ethics and morality, flippant about the rights of the Guyanese
people, intoxicated with power, have shown scant regard for freedoms of the Guyanese people and are seeking to remove a government that was legitimately elected in a free election. On every count, the PPP over the past twenty years has practised with depraved and bestial insensitivities, the crimes and abominations it has accused the AFC and APNU of in the Tenth Parliament since the November 2011 national elections. For the student of Guyanese politics, this must be tantamount to Dracula accusing the police of stealing blood to drink. For the political analyst, the PPP’s use of democratic semantics to denounce the opposition in Parliament may have no parallel in modern world politics. What is unimaginable is that these people are resorting to the dictionary of freedom that they themselves have torn up, thrown upon the ubiquitous garbage heap and burned since they came to power in 1992. It would take volumes to enumerate the injustices of the PPP’s elected dictatorship since 1992. For the commentator, he/ she has to identify some of the most sickening ones in the phantasmagoria of hypocrisy now playing out inside the National Assembly. Here is a very short selection. The PPP says that Clement Rohee is being denied his right to speak. This very Rohee was angry when a policeman, David Ramnarine, asserted his
Frederick Kissoon constitutional right to speak. Mr. Ramnarine paid the price of banishment for so doing. Nine CANU officers woke up a morning and told to take a lie detector test. They were told they all failed and were peremptorily dismissed. Mr. Rohee has rights that other Guyanese don’t. But not only him, all PPP personnel. They have rights that are special, so when they violate the rights of others, it must count for nothing because they are superior beings. Where is the parallel in modern politics when the party of a Prime Minister or a President loses a national parliamentary election then says to the very parliament, “I am the elected Prime Minister, I am the elected President, you must adhere to my policies, you must pass my legislation that I send to you, you must not forget, I was elected.” The other side of that coin is that the Parliament was not elected. Finally, the Guyana budget presentation has no competing example around the globe. An elected Parliament must do what a minority government tells it. The rape of democracy continues by people who say they are democratic. Does this tragedy have an end?
Relatives of murdered police trainee seek answers Relatives of the murdered police trainee, Constable 22011 Harold Sukhai, are disappointed at the pace of police investigations and the lack of information and contact with the family by investigators. Sukhai, 25, sustained a single gunshot to the chest during an attack by three robbers, one armed with a firearm on February 10, last at the Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo area, where he was walking with his girlfriend at that time. After the shooting of the young police rank, police later interrogated three suspects, however, they were subsequently released. Residents said that they are scared for their lives and noted that armed robberies, incidents of rape and burglary and larceny have been on the increase since around mid last
Dead: Harold Sukhai year. Reports disclose that two of the assailants are suspected to be part of a gang that has been preying on the Tuschen New Scheme. However, residents noted that since the shooting, there has been a strong police presence in the area.
Thursday February 21, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Nine homeless as fire flattens Girl, 12, runs off four-apartment building at Ituni with boyfriend
Fire rages through the apartment building at Ituni Nine persons, including a Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examinations (common entrance) teacher, were left with only the clothes on their backs after fire destroyed a four-apartment building at Ituni, Upper Demerara River early yesterday morning. Residents are convinced that the fire was electrical in origin and are laying the blame squarely at the feet of the power company that supplies electricity to the community. The fire which started around 08:30 hours has left the schoolteacher Yvonne Nazir, her husband and three children along with four other persons homeless. Kaieteur News understands that the teacher
and her family who occupy the largest portion of the building, were not at home when the fire started. By the time they rushed back there, all they could do was watch helplessly as the flames quickly destroyed the wooden building. According to an eyewitness, the fire started in one of the apartments that was occupied by a male tenant. The eyewitness said that the man had gone out early yesterday morning and when he returned he saw fire in his bedroom when he was about to open up his apartment. He raised an alarm and several persons, including students and teachers from the nearby Ituni Primary
School ran out to see what was happening. “Everybody run out; de whole village run out,” the eyewitness told this newspaper. Another male, a policeman, who lived in the other apartment, was also not at home when the fire started. In fact, he was at his mother-in-law’s when he heard the screams of “fire”. He too could not save anything because by the time he rushed back to his apartment, the fire had already consumed it. “Nobody got to save anything,” the eyewitness stated. Kaieteur News understands that the teacher had to receive medical
treatment as she kept falling in and out of consciousness, since she suffers from hypertension. A fire tender arrived two hours later from Kwakwani, some 18 miles away only to douse the embers of what was once an inferno. Residents explained that the community is served by two generators that provide electricity over two 12-hour periods. They claimed that there is usually a power surge whenever there is a changeover of generators, and this caused the fire because it was around the same time that the fire started. Last year another resident of the community, Orlene Murphy, lost her home under similar circumstances.
The mother of a 12-yearold Patentia Secondary School student is begging the public to help her find her missing daughter. The minor allegedly ran off with a young adult male two Mondays ago. The child’s mother said that her daughter dressed in her green and white uniform, and left their Free and Easy, West Bank Demerara, residence to attend school. The child was not expected to return home until Friday. The child was expected to spend the week by her aunt, who lives in Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara. However, on Friday when her mother went to the aunt’s house it was discovered that her daughter did not go by the aunt. The mother said that she was unable to contact the child during the week because her mobile phone did not have credit. A report was made at the Wales Police Station and the mother conducted her own investigations. A student of Patentia Secondary School who also lives in Free and Easy, told the child’s mother that she saw the missing child clad in her uniform being towed by a fellow villager. Later in the morning the student saw the child again on the roadside with the same young man, only this time she
Missing: Candacy Mc Donald was wearing a red top and a pair of blue jeans. According to the mother, she contacted relatives of the young man but no one seems to know where he is. “He sister who also got a 12-yearold daughter said that if he takes (my daughter) by her she will keep her and call me,” the depressed mother said. She related that her daughter and the young man’s phones are turned off. She believes that the young man might have taken her daughter to Bartica where his other sister lives. In addition, he is knowledgeable of bush work and may seek employment there.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday February 21, 2013
Doobay Renal Centre opts for modern dialysis access
In an attempt to improve its delivery of renal care service, the Doobay Renal Centre Inc. has commenced offering to its patients Arteriovenous (AV) fistula which is recognised as the gold standard hemodialysis access. At least six such procedures have been done at the facility this week although a total of about 20 have been done since it was introduced last year. Speaking to this publication yesterday, Vascular Surgeon and Founder of the Centre, Dr Budhendranauth Doobay said that he first started undertaking the procedure at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation around March last year and a few were done at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. However recent moves, he revealed, were made to have the procedure done at the Annandale, East Coast Demerara Renal Centre in a make-shift operating room. He noted that without the AV fistula a renal failure patient cannot be dialysed with natural tissues. This, he explained, is due to the fact that the catheter used to facilitate dialysis is usually inserted in the region of the upper chest or neck and is in fact a foreign body. And according to him a foreign body can in no way last forever in the body of a patient. “It can get infected and an infected patient can
even lose his/her life...When there is an infection it can be really bad and we would have to take the catheter out,” said Dr Doobay, as he admitted that offering renal care is not without a few challenges. He said that all good dialysis centres today are opting to do away with catheters and are now embracing the AV fistula procedure. Undertaken by Dr Doobay with the assistance of Dr Mursalene Gafoor, an eminent medical practitioner, and nurses of the Renal Centre, this procedure can cost as much as $300,000 but is being offered free of cost. “We take a vein and connect it to the artery and it becomes big...it is an expensive operation and we are doing it free in our own operating room which we rigged up,” said Dr Doobay. It has been medically proven that once kidney function goes below 10 to 15 per cent of its normal operation, dialysis treatments or kidney transplant are necessary to sustain life. There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Both dialysis treatments are able to replace the kidney function of cleansing the blood toxins and removing extra fluids for people with kidney failure. Catheter versus AV Fistula Hemodialysis is done to clean a patient’s blood by removing it from the body and passing it through a
Dr Budhendranauth Doobay performs the procedure on a patient yesterday. dialyzer or artificial kidney. The dialyser is a filter with two parts, one for blood and another for dialysis fluid called dialysate. Usually for dialysis, a catheter is inserted into a large vein in either the neck or chest. However the catheter is usually a shortterm option but there have been instances when it is used as a permanent access. With most dialysis catheters, a cuff is placed under the skin to help hold the catheter in place. The
Another protest by Mark Benschop
Political Activist Mark Benschop yesterday outside TV-G station Political Activist Mark Benschop staged another protest, this time it was outside the Guyana Times Newspaper/ TV-G television station on Camp Street. Benschop told Kaieteur News that the protest at “TVG” is to expose what the Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP/ C are doing to Guyana. According to Benschop, Bobby Ramroop is a personal friend to the government and that’s why he was granted so
much privilege. He said the big question is why Ramroop has been granted television, radio and newspaper licenses, when others have applied and have not gotten the opportunity to operate either of the three. Benschop told Kaieteur News that the PPP is running the country like it’s their personal item. He added that the country is being run by gangsters and not by law
abiding men and women. “Guyana Times is the lowest circulating newspaper in Guyana, but still it has a large number of government ads daily, while the other independent dailies have nothing” Benschop stated. According to Benschop this act should stop since it is being funded by taxpayers’ money. Benschop said that he will continue to protest to show disgust in the government.
blood flow rate from the catheter to the dialyzer may
not be as fast as the AV fistula. Added to this, catheters
have a greater tendency to become infected than the other access types because the device is both inside and outside of the body. A catheter therefore must always be kept clean and dry thus swimming or bathing is usually restricted. Getting dressed may disturb the catheter at the exit site, so care needs to be taken. However, an AV fistula is created by connecting a vein to an artery using a soft plastic tube. After the graft has healed, hemodialysis is performed by placing two needles; one in the arterial side and one in the venous side of the graft. The graft allows for increased blood flow. Grafts tend to need attention and upkeep. As such patients at the Renal centre will be exposed to sensitisation sessions on how to ensure that theirs are well cared for in order to ensure that the optimum result is maintained, officials there said.
12 gunshot wounds killed “Lil Mark” State pathologist tells court When Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh testified in the murder trial of 24-year-old Dexter Marshall who is accused of murdering Mark Caesar, called ‘Lil Mark’, the deceased was said to have died of multiple gunshot wounds; 12 to be exact. The most fatal was said to be the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth shots which pierced the head and upper chest areas. Dr Singh gave his evidence before Justice Roxanne GeorgeWiltshire at the Supreme Court yesterday as it pertained to the post mortem examination he performed on the victim. One bullet was said to have lodged at the base of the brain when it entered through the right temple. The other bullets, Singh said entered the dead man’s body from all directions and then exited. Under the direction of State Prosecutors Rhondel Weaver and Natasha Barker, Dr Singh said that the ninth bullet fired at the deceased went through the right side of the skull and brain and exited through the left side. The tenth bullet went through Caesar ’s right temple, through the skull and brain and exited the left side. The eleventh bullet went through the deceased back, piercing his lungs and exiting through the left arm pit. This caused one-fifth of the blood in Caesar’s body to flood his lung, Singh said. Following Dr Singh’s testimony, a police officer was called to the stand and he testified to arresting the accused. Lawyer for the accused, Hookumchand declined cross examination.
Deceased: Mark Caesar
Dexter Marshall
The accused then elected to give an unsworn statement when the court related the three options afforded to the accused in his quest to explain his story in relation to the murder. Marshall first stated his full name and said that he did not know the star witness in the matter, who happens to be the brother of the deceased. This witness claimed to have witnessed the murder. Marshall continued that he had never associated with the star witness and that he had no knowledge of the crime against him. He concluded that no one knows him by the nick name “Deckie.” On Tuesday, the court visited the scene of the crime at Broad Street, Charlestown where the events were reenacted. Later in the day, the brother of the deceased continued to give evidence which he started on Monday. Robby Jeffers is said to be
the brother of the deceased. He said that he was seated away from his brother when a car passed and stopped in a street. He said two men shot at his brother who was seated on a fire hydrant on the corner. Jeffers said that his brother fell backwards after receiving the first set of gunshots. The assailants then went over their victim and shot him some more before escaping in the said motorcar. Constable Eon George also testified. He was the police who took pictures of the crime scene. Civilian witnesses also testified to hearing the gun shots and seeing the deceased. The prosecution will make their closing arguments today. Hookumchand delivered his arguments yesterday afternoon. Dexter Marshall was said to have murdered Caesar on October 1, 2010. Caesar was killed execution- style.
Thursday February 21, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Thursday February 21, 2013
Scouts celebrate Founder’s Day Members of the Scout Association of Guyana (SAG) came out in large numbers on Sunday to celebrate Founder’s Day; the 156th birth anniversary of Robert Baden-Powell, also known as BP, founder of the global Scout Movement. Lord Baden-Powell was born on February 22, 1857. This year’s observance was taken to the West Coast Demerara. Hundreds of scouts from all across the country assembled at Cornelia Ida for a grand parade that concluded at the Uitvlugt Community Centre Ground. The scouts then enjoyed a fun-filled day of games and excitement that even periodic rainfall failed to bring to an end. In brief remarks to the scouts prior to the start of the fun-day activities, Chief Scout, Ramsay Ali, thanked the scouts for coming out in large numbers to celebrate the occasion. “As I stood there taking the salute, I was very proud of all of you in the way you displayed yourselves. It is very good when we can capture these moments and display to the rest of the country, what scouting is all
about.” Ali said that several activities have been planned for the association over the coming months to provide an opportunity for scouts to have more exposure, training and experience. These include a trip to Suriname later this year as well as a trip to Tokyo, Japan, in 2014. Additionally, the SAG will soon be opening a library and
computer room at Scout’s Headquarters in Woolford Avenue on Friday, February 22. Chief Commissioner, Zaida Joaquin, reminded the scouts of the invaluable role and contribution Lord Baden-Powell made to the growth and development of the movement. “Our organization shares a strong commitment for Peace. Bringing resolution to conflict
and creating understanding between people from different nationalities, faiths and cultures are fundamentals to the Promise that every girl and boy, every woman and man in our great Movement
will renew on this day.” Joaquin reminded the scouts that as part of his farewell message, the founder said, “I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life.
Happiness does not come from being rich, or merely being successful in your career, nor by selfindulgence… Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one.” On his return from Africa in 1903, Baden-Powell found that his military training manual, Aids to Scouting, had become a best-seller, and was being used by teachers and youth organisations in Britain. Following his involvement in the Boys’ Brigade as Brigade Secretary and Officer in charge of its scouting section, with encouragement from his friend, William Alexander Smith, Baden-Powell decided to re-write Aids to Scouting to suit a youth readership. Boys and girls spontaneously formed Scout troops and the Scouting Movement had inadvertently started, first as a national, and soon an international phenomenon.
Three months diversions expected during sewerage rehab works-GWI
Rehab works being done at Light and Fifth Streets, Alberttown, Georgetown Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is reminding commuters that as a result of the upgrades to sewerage pump stations and the installation of delivery mains around the city, traffic will be rerouted along several streets. The utility stated that rehabilitation works and installation of delivery mains to the following streets listed below will be ongoing for the next three months: Hadfield and Smyth Streets - Pump Station S, Fort and Barrack Streets - Pump Station B, Light and Forshaw Streets Pump Station J, New Market and Camp Streets - Pump Station G, Quamina and Camp Streets to Quamina and Waterloo Streets, New Market and Main Streets to the New Market and Waterloo
Junction and Princes Street and Louisa Row. The project is being funded under the Government of Guyana US$10 million Georgetown Sanitation Improvement Programme (GSIP). According to Arshad Yacoub, Senior Engineer (GWI) “Rehabilitation works at Pump Station Z at Sussex and Saffon Streets and Pump Station V at Princes and Smyth Streets have commenced. Installation works of delivery mains at Forshaw and Peter Rose Streets to Light and Fifth Streets have also started.” GWI is advising all customers residing in the aforementioned streets that there will be minor traffic diversion, breaking of roads and noise associated with the use of heavy equipment. The
utility is appealing to all customers for their patience and partnership during the execution of the GSIP. The programme will result in significantly minimizing sewage overflows and other problems associated with the sanitation system. Components of the programme will include the complete replacement of the 5.5 KM sewerage ring main in Georgetown; replacement of all delivery mains; purchase and installation of additional pumps for the 24 pumping stations to ensure adequate pressure, operational reliability and improvement to the electrical connections. It will also include an assessment and emergency rehabilitation of street sewers in selected areas and purchase of maintenance and operating equipment.
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Ask Suriname for help to fight piracy in Corentyne River - Chamber President ....Nickerie detectives in Corriverton President of the Upper Corentyne Chambers of Commerce, Hemchand Jaichand, is urging the Guyana Government to ask Suriname for help. He is also asking the government to partner with Surinamese counterparts to increase security along the Corentyne River, in the wake of a piracy attack last Tuesday. Five fishermen, Orvin ‘Bird’ Harripersaud, 32, Lot 20 Grant 1801 Crabwood Creek; Dhaneshwar Balgobin, Kubeerdhall Samlall, Dhaneshwar Sookdeo, Neelnarine Balgobin, and Ramesh Chandra Seenarine, all of Crabwood Creek, were brutally attacked with cutlasses and guns on the Corentyne River last Tuesday in the dark of night. At the end of the nearly two-hour ordeal, the fishermen were left on their own in the dark, cold
Suriname waters to endure one of the longest, torturous nights of their lives; to trek through bush; and to swim frantically for the nearest shore; and finally arriving in Nickerie, Suriname, exhausted, injured and very traumatized. The pirates carted off with over $1.5M in items, including their boat. “The Chamber is very concerned about what is happening at the fishery at Number 66. We have been saying again and again, that some authority needs to ensure that there is security on the river”. Jaichand ‘s position is that the Guyana Government negotiate with and have Suriname patrol their portion of the Corentyne River “and we utilize from Number 63… This can be one of the help in terms of curbing what is happening—piracy on the Corentyne River”.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, recently revealed several concerns raised from a Ministry of Health (MoH) client survey. Some of the findings are the long waiting time at healthcare facilities and non-availability of drugs at the hospital pharmacies. He was delivering the feature address at the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA) 10TH Award Ceremony. A recent survey provided information that people are waiting too long at the Public Hospital accident and emergency sections and at clinics. “One of the things that was set as a benchmark is, how do we reduce waiting time for people”. Dr. Anthony said that he is sure that Berbicians are also complaining about this humbug. He wants this waiting time to be reduced. “Whether you come for a routine clinic, perhaps we have to see how we can reduce that waiting time…We have some scheduled
surgeries and sometimes people complain that they wait too long to get surgery. So there is always room for improvement”. He stated that this is an ongoing exercise, to change the system. “And I am sure that waiting time is one of the principal things that you can be looking at”. Another matter he spoke about was the duration people spend in the hospital. “There is a cost for keeping people in a bed, and therefore if we can give them the right medication and they heal faster, then they will go home faster and be with their loved ones. That is something that we also can look at”. The same client survey showed that people are complaining that they are not getting the right drugs from the hospital pharmacies. “We have been buying a lot of drugs and it is in the central bonds and it is distributed to the regional bonds. Therefore, we should know when we are running short to ensure that the supplies are
in place.” He said that efficiencies have to be improved across the board, “and this is something we must constantly work on, so while we celebrate successes, we must also have some time for introspection and to see how we can improve our system because ultimately, we are judged by the interaction that we have with the people who come to us for service and if they leave anyone of our facilities dissatisfied, then we are not doing our jobs properly.” Dr. Anthony stated that the management and the Ministry of Health, can have the best of plans “but if those plans are not properly implemented then we still would not be doing our jobs.” He said that it is good to mention that targets are being reached and surpassed, but he questioned if that is really serving the people well. “We have to work to fulfill those expectations and we must work hard to do that”.
The January sessions of the Essequibo Criminal Assizes commenced at the Suddie High Court on Tuesday. But even before the first sitting there was the ceremonial opening which saw Justice Franklin Holder,
the presiding Judge, taking the salute from “D” Division Commander, Dale Alves, during the parade on the lawns of the Richard Fikhal Training College at Suddie, Essequibo. Twenty-four cases are listed for the duration of the session, which include
11 murders, three manslaughter, four rape, three carnal knowledge, two attempted murders, and one indecent assault charge. Tuesday’s session commenced with the murder trial of Julius Joseph.
By Leon Suseran
He said that the Chamber has spoken to some fishermen who have invested millions of dollars. One of the problems they are facing is having people to work on the river,”because you are not certain if you are going to be coming back when you leave in the morning”. Jaichand stated, too, that the matter becomes one where persons are afraid to invest. “Some of those people owe the bank. It is also affecting our area in terms of business; in terms of supplies of fish, where costs are [going] up”. The UCCCI President would like to see the government “come down here and see what is happening on a daily basis— have some representation”. He stated that he tried numerous times to call the [Fishermen Co-op] Chairman and “sit down and talk to him so I can take some of the
Survey finds hospitals have long waiting times, shortage of drugs - Dr Anthony
Essequibo sessions open
President of UCCCI, Hemchand Jaichand issues to the Private Sector Commission (PSC)…so we can see how the Chamber can help”. Lives, he said, are being lost, [and] “no one is saying anything; some of the fishermen are frustrated and I am not sure what is going to be the next move”. The Ministry of Agriculture, a few years ago, donated a speedboat with a 75- horse power engine, along with five shotguns to the Corentyne Fishermen’s Cop-op Society to patrol the Corentyne River, but Jaichand said that he does not believe the fishermen are utilizing the boat. “They need partnership with the marines we have up here and to work in collaboration. They (fishermen) just cannot go into the water as they wish; because of the disputed area (in the Corentyne River)…the [Guyana] Government needs to work with the Suriname Government to ask them to patrol this area that they claim
belongs to them”. He stated, “It’s a waste of time giving these people—if you ask them the last time they went on a patrol, I don’t think any one of them can give an answer.” Kumar Doodnauth, former Chairman of the Upper Corentyne Fishermen’s Coop Society and former Secretary Manager of that body stated that the persons executing these well-planned hijackings are fishermen themselves. “People involved in hijackings got a good, strong presence of former fishermen...so these people know and have a very good idea of the River”. Doodnauth believes that there is a breakdown of law and order and even if they [the hijackers] get caught, they will “walk through the courts”. “I think there is a very, very weak legal system and then the security system for people in this country— generally, it is not really upto-scratch”. Speaking about the boats given to the Fishermen’s Co-op to fight piracy, he stated that the police and army are the vested institutions to protect the water and land in our country. “Remember, we are taking taxpayers’ monies and investing in the police and army and coast guard…Those are the institutions that got to deal with the security. Giving the fishermen a shotgun— t hat’s not the job of the fisherman”. “You got to work in collaboration with the Suriname authorities because they got total control of the river. There is a little political thing too with Suriname—
you remember the New River matter… but our government can work on an agreement with them”. Doodnauth stated, too, that the judicial system is very weak in Guyana and even if the hijackers are caught— which rarely happens—the process can be compromised. “If you talk to these fishermen, they are just fed up with the legal system—from the magistrate to the police— you getting harassed out there and when you come here, they also harass you! “We got a problem in this country, which everybody knows. If you are an investigating rank and you know that someone has been identified—somewhere down the line, someone is going to take pay off – that’s what we got to deal with”. Meanwhile, Surinamese detectives arrived in Corriverton on Monday to assist with this particular investigation. Additionally, the two suspects caught selling fuel jars and a boat fuel tank at the Skeldon Market over the weekend, are still in police custody at Springlands Police Station. The owner of the boat that was allegedly used in the hijackings turned up on Monday at the Springlands Station, after spending days looking for the missing boat. Jaichand Ramraj of Number 64 Village, Corentyne stated that he tied his boat along the Number 63 Beach on Tuesday morning last (at 05:30 hrs). “We tie the boat to go set seine that morning; when me go Wednesday morning no boat was there…We took a car to the [Police] Impact Base at [Number] 62 and reported that the boat lost”, he stated.
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Controversial Moruca land transferred to Minister Sukhai - resident plans challenge The piece of land in Moruca from which a single parent was evicted has been transferred to the Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, according to a document seen by Kaieteur News. Sukhai had sought to distance herself from the land grabbing row at Santa Rosa, Moruca in the North West District, but an agreement shows that she accepted the land rights for the disputed land. The dispute surrounds a piece of land, with a house, which Sukhai’s stepfather, Leonard Torres, was claiming. The house was occupied
Minister Pauline Sukhai by one Melanie Torres at the time the dispute arose; the
Liverpool teen struck dead by speeding lorry ...driver escapes sound trashing, flees scene By Leon Suseran
Tragedy struck on the Liverpool, Corentyne public road when a 15- year- old cyclist was struck down by a motor lorry. The driver then exited the vehicle and fled the scene upon close examination of what had happened to the child. However, villagers ran after him planning to give him a sound trashing, but failed, so they started to destroy the windscreen of the vehicle in anger and retaliation. Zani Munroe, of Lot 33 Liverpool Village and a Fourth Form student of the Manchester Secondary School was riding her bicycle just after 17:00 hrs, during which a truck, reported to be transporting sand for Anirud Contracting Services, was heading to New Amsterdam, when the driver hit the child down. Eyewitnesses reported seeing the child “flip in the air” and landing at the corner of the road. One eyewitness, Medex Carol Corlette, whose home is just opposite the accident scene, said that she was in her home when she heard “unending hollering”. That was perhaps just after the impact. “The child was hollering and when I went out, I saw [her] all drenched in blood— [she] was unconscious but the amount of blood—I knew she would not have made it”. Munroe was badly injured in the lower abdomen. “The truck was going to New Amsterdam—speeding with a full load of sand! And the driver opened the door and went to the child but when he realized it was
Zani Munroe danger, he fled the scene”, she reported. “It was speeding— that truck was speeding— with a full load of sand!” The child was pronounced dead on the way to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Police arrived on the scene, towed the truck, but the hunt is now on for the driver, who is reportedly from the Rose Hall Town area. According to Munroe’s sister, Ziska, she was preparing to do some laundry at home when she was informed that her sister was badly hit. “I was at home when I heard my sister get knock down and when I come out on the road, I see the blood and I start to holler”. Residents in the area also stated that it was only Monday evening that another accident was caused perhaps by a similar vehicle from that same contracting firm. However, no one lost their life. The child is survived by her mother, Gwen Tappin; father, Selton Munroe; and sisters Zohan and Ziska as well as her brother, Joshua Smith.
lady has since been evicted. Now, the Torreses are planning to challenge the claim of transfer to Sukhai and are seeking a piece of the land for the young lady to build a house. They hope for an impartial hearing of the case since there is a new Toshao in the village. A public meeting is planned for early next month at which the Torreses plan to let their case be heard. In a document seen by Kaieteur News, Sukhai signed and accepted the land as a “gift” on February 17th, 2012, from her stepfather Leonard Torres. The land measures a quarter of an acre. Strange
enough, the witnesses to the transfer agreement signed with a date almost two years earlier than the date the agreement was made. The transfer agreement bears the stamp of the Santa Rosa Village Council with a date of February 16, 2012. On September 16, 2005, t h e S a n t a R o s a Vi l l a g e Council granted Melanie Torres permission to have a plot of land at San Jose, Santa Rosa, to build her home. It is the same place, the Village Council noted, where the woman was living for 24 years. The woman had left the area for a short time, and
returned, only to be told that she can no longer live there. The Village Council held a meeting on January 11, 2012, and Minister Sukhai had asked Ms. Yvonne Pearson, the then Chairperson of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), to intervene on her behalf since, as Minister of Amerindian Affairs, she could not represent the interest of her father because of the conflict of interest issues that could arise. At that meeting, it was decided that the house and land legally belonged to Leonard Torres, and that there was no record to show that the land was transferred to
anyone, previously. This is despite the fact that Melanie Torres has a signed letter by the Village Council showing that she was given permission in 2005 to build a house on the land on which she was living for 24 years previously. There were concerns from the Amerindian People’s Association that the Minister used her powers to intervene in a matter in which she is involved, displaying glaring conflict of interest. The APA claimed that the Minister used her powers, by asking the NTC to intervene, so the case could go in her favour.
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Amerindians write UN on land rights violations - want Govt pressured to revise Amerindian Act Amerindians from the Upper Mazaruni have taken their case of land rights violations to the United Nations, hoping that the Special Rapporteurs could help force the government to revise the Amerindian Act. The Amerindian People’s Association (APA) teamed up with international NGO Forest People’s Programme to write the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation; the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food; the Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights; United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights Obligations relating to the Enjoyment of a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment; Special Rapporteur on to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health; and the Special Rapporteur on Environmentally Sound
Management and Disposal of Hazardous Wastes and Substances. The NGOs claim that the threats faced by the Akawaio communities of Isseneru and Kako due to mining on their lands are grave, imminent and substantial. “They are faced with irreparable harm to their social, cultural and environmental integrity if mining is allowed to continue and increase in their lands,” the NGOs stated. They claim that the “discriminatory rulings” of the High Court privilege the interests of miners over Isseneru and Kako; allow this mining to take place with impunity; negate the rights of the affected communities; and disregard extant domestic laws such as the Mining Act and Environmental Protection Act. The groups say such situations demand international oversight and action, particularly in light of
Guyana’s explicit refusal to act on the prior recommendations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) that seek to remedy the discriminatory aspects of the Amerindian Act. The UNCERD had highlighted the urgent need for Guyana to comply with these recommendations, both by explicitly requesting that it submit information on compliance with one year of their adoption and in its subsequent communication under its follow-up procedure, which stated that its concerns had become “all the more urgent” due to the deteriorating situation in Guyana, the NGOs stated. Late last year, and again in January, the court held that in the case of Isseneru, the Village Council has no jurisdiction over the activities of miners on the basis of when the State granted title to its lands. “Isseneru’s title is presently almost completely engulfed in mining concessions that, by law, it can do nothing about, and about which it was not
consulted and did not consent,” the APA and FPP stated. In the case of Kako, the judiciary held that its Village Council has no authority to prevent miners entering its titled lands on the basis of the provisions of the 2006 Amerindian Act, nor any right to prevent mining in its traditionally owned lands outside of this titled area. In April 2006, the UNCERD found that the Amerindian Act discriminates against indigenous peoples in many respects. The APA and FPP stated that Kako’s traditional lands are also covered by numerous mining concessions that were issued without its knowledge. The Amerindians of the Upper Mazaruni want the government to amend the Amerindian Act of 2006 in line with its concluding observations of 2006 and in particular, that it ensures that indigenous peoples are able to consent to and control mining on their lands and territories (titled or otherwise), including bodies of water therein, without regard to when title may have
been issued and without regard for the date the Amerindian Act of 2006 entered into force. They want the government to instruct the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) not to issue mining permits or concessions within indigenous lands and territories, titled or otherwise, without first obtaining the consent of the affected community and/or indigenous peoples in accordance with their customs and traditions and through their freely chosen representatives or institutions, and that it amends Section 53 of the Amerindian Act accordingly. The NGOs are demanding that the government immediately suspends and, where necessary, and revoke all mining concessions not consented to by Isseneru and Kako and which affect their traditionally owned lands whether titled in accordance with the Amerindian Act or not. Further, they want the GGMC to not apply the discriminatory distinction between lands held under title
issued by the State and lands held under title pursuant to indigenous customary tenure and law with respect to the prohibition of medium-scale mining under the Mining Act. The NGOs are calling for the government to amend the Amerindian Act, as a matter of priority and urgency, to recognise and reflect the inherent nature of indigenous peoples’ rights and to establish procedures for land titling that are grounded in and consistent with those rights, rather than continue to pursue unilateral and arbitrary actions with regard to indigenous land titling that fail to regularise their preexisting and inherent rights. In addition, they want the government to ensure that indigenous people have access to effective and prompt judicial and other remedies to seek protection for their rights, and immediately act to ensure that the judiciary is made aware of indigenous peoples’ rights and pass the necessary laws or regulations to ensure that the type of injunctions that were adopted in relation to Isseneru and Kako are not adopted in the future.
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Brazil, Russia move closer to arms, technology deals BRASILIA (Reuters) Brazil agreed yesterday to negotiate the purchase of Russian anti-aircraft missile batteries on the condition that Russia transfer the technology to Brazilian defense companies without restrictions. The agreement was announced after Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on a visit to Brazil to advance defense, energy and agricultural deals with a fellow member of the BRICS bloc of emerging nations.
Brazil is beefing up its air defenses before the World Cup soccer tournament next year and the 2016 Olympic Games to ward off the threat of a terrorist attack during the global sporting events, which will draw massive crowds of foreigners. Brazil is interested in buying medium-range surface-to-air Pantsir S1 combined missile and artillery batteries and Igla-S shoulderheld missiles, as well as acquiring the technology to build the weapons itself in the future. Contract negotiations will
begin in March, the governments said in a signed statement that called for the effective and unrestricted transfer of technology to Brazilian defense companies. No values were mentioned. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces, General Jose Carlos de Nardi, said the contract would be signed in three months and the batteries would arrive in Brazil in time for the Olympics, but not the World Cup. “The Olympic Games are a bigger defense concern because they take place in
Regional leader supports moves to end Guatemala’s claim to Belize PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - CMC – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders are expressing their “full support” for the referendum that could lead to an end to the border dispute between Guatemala and Belize. The regional leaders who ended their 24th InterSessional summit here on Tuesday night., said they had received an update on arrangement being made by the two countries to hold a simultaneous referenda on October 6 this year. The two countries have already launched a public awareness campaign, in respect of the decision on whether to submit Guatemala’s claim to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a final and binding settlement. “The Conference expressed its full support for
the process to bring Guatemala’s claims to an end and called on the international community to also do so, especially in relation to meeting the costs involved in bringing this longstanding dispute for final determination,” the leaders said in a communiqué. “The Conference is encouraged that both Belize and Guatemala are remaining faithful to the roadmap that both countries have agreed to in accordance with the Special Agreement of December 2008, and expressed its concern at any attempts to destabilize that process and its roadmap,” the leaders said, adding that they had “reaffirmed the Community’s firm and unequivocal support for Belize’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. The territorial dispute between the two countries dates back to 1940 with
Guatemala claiming Belize or Belize controlled territory. The regional leaders say they are also satisfied with the progress being made by Guyana and Venezuela in their border dispute and that the two countries have “continued to enjoy excellent relations and were engaged in several activities aimed at increasing the level of cooperation between the two countries. “The Conference noted that Guyana and Venezuela remained committed to the Good Offices Process of the United Nations SecretaryGeneral to aid them in the search for a solution to the controversy that arose from the Venezuelan contention that the Arbitral Award of 1899, that definitively delimited the territory between Guyana and Ve n e z u e l a , i s n u l l a n d void.”
CARICOM heads in solidarity concerning bribery accusation — Gonsalves
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent - IWN – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says that CARICOM leaders are in solidarity with him as he faces a reported accusation that an investor went to his office with money and left without it. “I put my faith and trust in the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Caribbean. … I have nothing to hide,” Gonsalves said Tuesday on WE FM in one of his several calls to two radio stations here about the alleged suggestion of bribery. He said on Sunday that a man, whom he did not name, had told him that two BBC journalists had shown him a
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves video in which Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace charged that Buccament Bay Resort investor, Dave Ames, had taken a container of money to the Office of the Prime Minister. Eustace on Monday
denied making such an accusation and Matthew Chapman, the producer of the BBC “Panorama” episode to be made about Harlequin, told I-Witness News on Tuesday that the crew of the show has no such video. Gonsalves is attending a CARICOM meeting in Haiti, from where he made the call to WE FM’s “Shake-up” Tuesday. “And I reported it (the accusation) also to the CARICOM heads. I reported it yesterday and they have provided support for me. In fact, one head who is not present here, he sent a note this morning by his minister. (Continued on page 21)
different locations of one city, while the World Cup is just one stadium in several cities,” he told Reuters. Medvedev’s trip follows a visit by Rousseff to Moscow in December that underlined the importance both countries attach to building relations among BRICS countries. The BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - account for one quarter of global GDP and 40 percent of the world’s population. They have become increasingly vocal in criticizing developed nations’ hold over international economic policies. Ties between Brazil and Russia have been strengthening and Medvedev said the two countries aim to raise annual trade turnover to $10 billion from the current $6.5 billion. Russia is touting its advanced energy expertise and technology to open business opportunities in Brazil’s oil and gas industry. It also hopes to get involved in Brazil’s plans to build new nuclear power stations to
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff (R) shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev during a meeting at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia yesterday. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino meet surging demand for electricity that has overwhelmed its generating capacity. “An energy alliance would benefit our people and our companies,” Medvedev said. Brazilian officials said Medvedev’s visit advanced talks to eliminate sanitary hurdles that are slowing
Brazil’s meat sales to Russia, its largest buyer. As a sign of the two countries drawing closer, Brazil on Tuesday became the first country outside Russia to host a monitoring station for the Russian satellite navigation system GLONASS, a global positioning system that uses 24 satellites.
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Jamaica Govt. urges energy conservation KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – The Jamaica government says conserving energy and reducing the country’s energy bill will be critical to the multi-million dollar Stand By Agreement (SBA) Jamaica hopes to sign with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “The government has to spend less, has to use less energy, has to be a more efficient user of energy going forward, and we are going to commit to specific actions and objectives under the IMF
agreement,” said, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister Phillip Paulwell. Paulwell told members of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) that the government, being the single largest consumer of energy in the economy, recognised that it had to make some adjustments, and last year, embarked on a mandatory energy efficiency and conservation pilot project. The project, which is being funded by the Inter-
American Development Bank (IDB), aims to reduce the public sector electricity bill by 30 per cent over the next four years. Paulwell said that work has already started at the Office of the Prime Minister and several other agencies. “We have done basic retrofits, the application of window film to reduce the amount of light and heat from the sun that comes in through the windows, thereby reducing the demand for air conditioning, and the
application of cool roof technology to reduce heat,” he said, adding that other measures are being considered, such as changing the office dress code from heavy suits to lighter clothing, so as to reduce the demand for air conditioning. “We are moving swiftly and sharply to get our people to do the small acts, such as switching off lights when not in use, turning off computers at the end of the day and regulating temperature
settings,” he said, adding that the Ministry of Energy would be monitoring the energy use of the various agencies over the period of the pilot, and there will be incentives for those that use less energy and penalties for those agencies that increase their usage. Paulwell is encouraging Jamaicans to assess their consumption and seek to implement conservation measures. “There are a myriad of practices and technologies that can be implemented and the results can be seen almost immediately,” he noted. The government’s annual energy consumption is in excess of 411 gigawatt hours, which represent approximately 12 per cent of total electricity use in Jamaica. In 2011, the government spent some J$1.2 billion (One Jamaica dollar = US$0.01 cents) a month for electricity, but Paulwell said much of that outlay was due to the fluctuation in the global energy market.
Phillip Paulwell He said that the Portia Simpson Miller government has crafted a clear path in reducing the country’s energy bill, as outlined in the National Energy Policy and Vision 2030, and will be implementing several long, short and medium term measures, as it relates to energy conservation. Earlier this month, the IMF said it had reached a “staff-level agreement” with Jamaica on the key elements of an economic programme that can be supported by US$750 million four year arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
BATTLE ROYALE
Freundel Stuart and Owen Arthur BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC – Barbadians go to the polls to elect a new government today with opinion polls predicting a victory for the main opposition Barbados labour Party (BLP) who leads. But Prime Minister Freundel Stuart is telling voters that his ruling Democratic Labour Party (DLP), which won the 2008 general election by an 20-10 margin, is still the best party to take the country forward. “In the final analysis, the assignment in this election is coming down to a government that once again can be trusted,” he said in a
television broadcast on Tuesday night. History seems to be on the side of the DLP. Noted Caribbean journalist Rickey Singh said “the second chance syndrome is perhaps a most crucial consideration for voters since there is no precedence for restricting an incumbent party to just one term. “And although pollsters and social commentators continue to give the edge to the BLP, both Bees and Dems are attracting significant levels of support at campaign meetings and lingering speculation about “swing votes” in indentified marginal constituencies,” he wrote.
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Opposition wants clear statement on Flying Squad PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – The main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) is calling on Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar to shed light on whether or not her administration has given the backing to the establishment of a “Flying Squad” police unit as the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI) said it too was examining reports on the issue. Opposition Leader Dr.
Keith Rowley made reference to various media reports about the re-instatement of the unit and allegations by former Flying Squad member, retired police inspector Mervyn Cordner, that he had been approached by National Security Minister Austin “Jack” Warner to re-establish the unit. Warner has consistently denied Cordner’s claim. The director of the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC) Garvin Heerah, whom
CARICOM heads in... From page 19 “… His minister reported that his prime minister said to tell Ralph he has my full solidarity, and he said he had made several attempts to call me but was unsuccessful,” Gonsalves said. “And I have received nothing but full support from my colleagues. Because they know me as being a person who is known for my anticorruption efforts for more than 12 years — my 12 years in office and before, my reputation for financial probity — and they know me.
“… They know and they can accept my assurances that these accusations are baseless, without foundation,” Gonsalves said. “I have served my people faithfully and well. I know that my supporters will believe me straight away. I know that there are some [opposition] NDP (New Democratic Party) supporters who would want to hear anything bad about Ralph. I urge them please not to treat their prime minister in this manner,” Gonsalves said.
Cordner claim was his contact person, is also distancing himself from the matter. Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams has also denied knowledge of the unit. But Rowley told reporters that Prime Minister Persad Bissessar must address the issue to her return here from Haiti where she has been attending the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Inter-Sessional summit. “The government now has difficulty in convincing the population, no matter what you may think about the officers, cranky, crazy or otherwise, what is in the public domain is a mixture of fact and fiction and it is in the public interest to separate the fact from the fiction,” Rowley said. “Something has to be done about this. This cannot be swept under the carpet and whereas Mr Heerah and Mr Warner are prepared to pretend not to know anything about it, notwithstanding the facts in the public domain and the witnesses out there to speak to the authorities, the Prime Minister cannot
pretend not to be interested in this matter,” Rowley said, adding that the opposition had filed a question in Parliament on the matter. Rowley, who has repeated his call for Warner’s dismissal or resignation from the coalition People’s Partnership government, said that he is not prepared to have such a unit in operation, especially under the control of Warner. He has likened the Flying Squad to the dreaded Mongoose Gang in Grenada and the Tonton Macoute in Haiti and called on the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and the Police Service Commission (PSC) to conduct independent investigations into the matter. “Too many lies, too many lies, too many lies and I am calling today for an investigation into this matter and because police officers are supposed to have been involved, it should fall to the Police Complaints Authority to examine, to question those persons who are talking to the public on this matter, to find out if police officers are involved at any level.” TTTI chairman Deryck
Murray told reporters that while the re-establishment of the unit was “not so much a corruption issue” it is one of “transparency and accountability. “What we are in at the moment is information gathering because it is in the public domain … we are trying to find out what are really the facts before we make any conclusions,” Murray said. Meanwhile, the Trinidad Express newspaper reported Wednesday that the issue could be raised during a meeting with the Acting Police Commissioner on Thursday. The newspaper quoting sources, said that the Commission, “will naturally be concerned about a matter
Dr. Keith Rowley about the Flying Squad and all the speculation surrounding it. “It is likely that the matter would be raised by at least one of the Commissioners,” the newspaper quoted the source as saying, adding that the issue was a “serious public interest matter”.
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Ex-congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. pleads guilty to fund misuse
Jesse Jackson Jr WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) Former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., the son of a civil rights leader and a one-time rising star in Democratic politics, pleaded guilty yesterday to
misusing about $750,000 in campaign money. Jackson, 47, of Chicago, wept quietly as he entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Washington, where Judge Robert Wilkins accepted the plea. “Guilty, your honor. I misled the American people,” Jackson said after the judge asked his plea. Jackson, who dropped out of public view last year and underwent treatment for bipolar disorder, could be sentenced to five years - the maximum allowed by law under an agreement with prosecutors. Wilkins scheduled sentencing for June 28. Jackson’s father, Jesse Jackson Sr., sat in the front
row of a courtroom filled with family, friends and reporters during the hour-long hearing yesterday. The former congressman’s wife, Sandi, was expected to appear at a separate hearing and plead guilty to filing false tax returns that did not report the campaign money as income. She is a former member of the Chicago City Council. Born with a name that would be known across the United States because of his father ’s activism and campaigns for president, Jesse Jackson Jr. was once considered among the nation’s most promising black politicians. He ran for Congress and won at age 30, serving from
1995 until resigning on November 21, citing health reasons and acknowledging he was under investigation by the FBI. At the hearing, he expressed regret for living off his political campaign’s money for years. “I fully understand the consequences of my actions,” he said. Jackson was accused of shipping a $43,350 men’s Rolex watch purchased with campaign funds to his Washington address. He also shipped fur capes and parkas purchased with
$5,150 in campaign funds to the Beverly Hills home of an unnamed person, the documents said. Jackson disappeared from public view last summer and speculation swirled for weeks about his condition. He said in late June he had taken a leave of absence two weeks earlier for treatment of what was described as exhaustion. He issued a statement on July 5 saying his health problems were more serious and he needed extended inpatient treatment for unspecified “physical and
emotional ailments.” On July 11, his physician said the congressman was receiving intensive care for a “mood disorder” and was expected to make a full recovery. The Mayo Clinic announced on July 27 that Jackson had been admitted. Jackson was treated for at least six weeks at Mayo for bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression. It is marked by highs and lows of mood, and can be treated by medication and psychological counseling.
NATO may hold mid-2013 summit to mark Afghan handover BRUSSELS (Reuters) NATO is considering holding a summit in mid-2013 to mark a milestone in the handover of security responsibilities in Afghanistan to local forces, alliance Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said yesterday. NATO-led forces are expected to cede the lead role for security in Afghanistan this spring to Afghan soldiers, 12 years after the United States invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban government harboring Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader who masterminded the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities. “No decision has been made but it is an idea that is being considered,” Rasmussen told Reuters in an interview, when asked about the possibility of a June summit. “A summit in mid-2013 could be a good idea to mark the milestone in Afghanistan, the fact that we will have handed over lead responsibility to the Afghans all over Afghanistan,” he said. NATO diplomats say there is talk of organizing a one-day summit in Brussels, possibly around the time that U.S. President Barack Obama travels to Northern Ireland for the G8 summit in June, but say no decision has been taken. Obama announced last week that 34,000 troops, about half the U.S. force in Afghanistan, would withdraw by early 2014, bringing the United States close to wrapping up the costly, unpopular war. The international force plans to hand over full responsibility for security to the Afghans by the end of 2014, with most international combat forces being withdrawn, leaving a smaller
Fogh Rasmussen
mission to train Afghan soldiers. Rasmussen said a midyear summit could also be an opportunity for NATO allies to discuss military capabilities and defense investment, hit in many countries by budget cuts, and to take decisions on the NATO-led training mission planned for Afghanistan after 2014. Former U.S. President George W. Bush, who ordered the U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan in 2001, came to Brussels for NATO meetings in June 2001 and again in February 2005. NATO leaders last met in Chicago in May last year. Rasmussen, speaking on the eve of a NATO defense ministers’ meeting, also said Afghan security force numbers could be kept at a higher level for longer than expected. Under current plans, the United States and its NATO allies will help build up the Afghan armed forces to 352,000 personnel, a number they are approaching, but the size of the force - which the allies will continue to fund will be trimmed to 230,000 after 2015. U.S. General Lloyd Austin, nominated to lead the U.S.
military’s Central Command which includes Afghanistan, last week backed keeping Afghan forces at peak strength. Rasmussen said no final decision had been made as to how long Afghan security forces will remain at the high level. “It may well be that the higher level will be kept for a longer time than previously expected. That will ... very much depend on the security situation on the ground,” he said. Rasmussen said he regretted that U.S. Marine General John Allen would not now become NATO’s next supreme commander after he announced his retirement on Tuesday. Allen, who led NATO forces in Afghanistan and was caught up but later cleared in the scandal that forced CIA chief David Petraeus to resign, cited his wife’s health as the reason for his decision to forego his nomination to the NATO job. “He could have done a great job as Supreme Allied Commander Europe but ... I also fully respect his decision,” Rasmussen said.
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Bank of England chief joins minority wanting more asset buying (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mervyn King and two other officials voted to restart governmentbond buying earlier this month, showing the bank may be closer than expected to taking more action to lift economic growth. Minutes of the bank’s last meeting, released yesterday, also reveal the central bank is thinking about how to boost non-bank lending to the economy. The pound fell to an 8month low as the bank confirmed it was in no hurry to force inflation back to its 2 percent target. “The (policy) committee agreed that it was important to communicate clearly its willingness to bring inflation back to the target over a longer time horizon than usual,” the minutes said. Britain’s economy has been stagnant for two years, but the central bank now sees a sluggish recovery. Unemployment data released at the same time as the minutes again showed a record number of people in
work. Many economists had largely written off the chance of more asset purchases - or quantitative easing (QE) especially after King last week stressed that monetary policy was near the limits of what it could do to boost growth. He also forecast inflation would remain above target until early 2016, even without additional stimulus. But it now turns out that at the central bank’s February 6-7 Monetary Policy Committee meeting, King and Paul Fisher, the bank’s executive director for markets, joined long-standing dove David Miles in arguing for an increase in bond purchases to 400 billion pounds ($618 billion) from 375 billion pounds. “A case could ... be made for undertaking additional asset purchases at this meeting,” the minutes of the nine-member committee said. “The degree of slack in the economy, and the likely positive response of supply capacity to increased
Mervyn King
demand, meant that higher output growth would not necessarily lead to any material additional inflationary pressure.” The policy committee also said that they still believed that asset purchases had the ability to help the economy by lowering interest rates and encouraging investment in riskier assets. February marks the fourth time King has been in a minority since he became governor in 2003. While unusual, it is not the shock it would have been be at most other central banks as MPC
Prosecution in Pistorius case admits error in testimony
Oscar Pistorius PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — The investigating officer in the Oscar Pistorius murder case made an error in his court testimony yesterday when he identified a substance found in the athlete’s bedroom as testosterone, the national prosecutor said. Medupe Simasiku, the spokesman for South Africa’s National Prosecution Agency, told The Associated Press that it was too early to identify the substance as it was still undergoing laboratory tests. ‘’It is not certain (what it is) until the forensics.’’ Simasiku said, adding that it wasn’t certain if it was ‘’a legal or an illegal medication for now.’’ Detective Warrant Officer Hilton Botha, the investigating officer, said earlier in court during
Pistorius’ bail hearing that police found two boxes of testosterone and needles in the bedroom of the Olympic athlete, who is charged with premediated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. It was a mistake to identify the substance now, Simasiku said, as it was still unknown. He said the discovery of needles was in Botha’s statement, however. Pistorius denies murder, saying in an affidavit Tuesday that the Valentine’s Day shooting was accidental because he thought there was an intruder in his house. In response to Botha’s claim, the defense said yesterday, the second day of Pistorius’ bail hearing at Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, that the substance found was not a steroid or a banned substance but an herbal remedy. International Paralympic Committee spokesman Craig Spence told the AP soon after the substance claims that Pistorius - the world’s most famous disabled athlete - was drug tested twice in London last year by the IPC, on Aug. 25 and Sept. 8. Both test results were negative, Spence said. The Aug. 25 test was an out-of-competition test, and the Sept. 8 one incompetition, a day before the end of the London
Paralympics. The International Olympic Committee said it didn’t test Pistorius at the Olympics, but referred the AP to the IPC’s negative tests. International athletics body the IAAF and the World Anti-Doping Agency would not comment because it was an ongoing legal case. ‘’Bearing in mind the ongoing police investigation, WADA must refrain from making any statement at present,’’ WADA said. Giving testimony, Botha said police made the discovery of testosterone in bedroom of the doubleamputee runner and multiple Paralympic champion’s upscale Pretoria house after the shooting of Steenkamp but offered no further details or explanation. State prosecutor Gerrie Nel also had to correct Botha when he initially called it ‘’steroids.’’ Simasiku later told the AP that the detective, Botha, thought it was testosterone by reading the first few letters of the label. Pistorius’ lawyer, Barry Roux, said on questioning the detective - who has 16 years’ experience as a detective and 24 years with the police - that it was not a banned substance and that police were trying to give the discovery a ‘’negative connotation.’’ ‘’It is an herbal remedy,’’ (Continued on page 24)
members are encouraged to make differences in view public. The last time King was in a minority was in June last year - when there was also a 6-3 split - and in July a majority of the MPC joined King in backing a 50 billion pound increase in asset purchases. “February’s UK MPC minutes provide another clear demonstration of the committee’s increasingly flexible approach to inflation targeting,” said Samuel Tombs of Capital Economics. “More QE is likely this year, particularly if GDP growth continues to fall short of the
Committee’s expectations.” Economists polled by Reuters after the minutes saw a median 51 percent chance that the bank will restart asset purchases this year, up from 35 percent last week and the first time the probability has been above 50 percent since October. The support in the minutes for further asset purchases was more nuanced than in the past, however. The three policymakers supporting purchases were only calling for a modest 25 billion pounds extra - in contrast to the increases of 50 billion pounds that were more typical in the past. And there was a general acceptance - in line with King’s recent comments - that monetary policy alone will not get Britain’s economy back on track. The minutes cited the importance of the central bank’s Funding for Lending Scheme, which opened in August and offers banks cheap finance if they lend more, as well as reiterating a call for British banks to strengthen their capital positions.
But there was also a hint that the bank may be looking at a new way to boost lending that bypasses banks. “In addition to improving the supply of bank credit, the committee thought that consideration of measures to support the flow of credit more broadly, including from non-bank lenders, was also warranted,” the minutes said. The central bank also said it would disregard upward price pressures from higher university tuition fees and energy levies. L o n g - r a n g e communication is an approach favoured by Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, who will take over at the BoE when King steps down in July. Berenberg Bank economist Rob Wood said he expected more of this to come. “We suspect the BoE’s toe in the water on guidance will get more specific over the coming months. Specifically, we expect any further easing to be in the form of something closer to Fed-style guidance accompanied by more QE,” Wood said.
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Obama goes on local TV in fight with Republicans over budget cuts (Reuters) - President Barack Obama turned to local television stations across the United States yesterday to increase public pressure on congressional Republicans to avert $85 billion in budget cuts set to begin in nine days. Obama scheduled interviews with television stations in eight markets, most of which have a strong military presence, on a day
when the Pentagon was set to describe its plans for laying off some 800,000 civilian employees for 22 days to save money. The interviews are part of an administration strategy to lay blame for the job losses on Republicans, who control the House of Representatives. Unless Obama and Republicans reach a deal,
about $85 billion in acrossthe-board spending cuts will kick in at the beginning of March and continue through September 30 as part of a decade-long $1.2 trillion budget savings plan agreed in 2011. Obama has said he wants Congress to end tax loopholes enjoyed mainly by the wealthy to buy lawmakers enough time to pass a budget
Barack Obama
but Republicans are insisting on deeper spending cuts to reduce the $16 trillion national debt. Obama will talk to local anchors in Boston, Baltimore, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Honolulu, San Antonio, Charleston, South Carolina, and Wichita, Kansas, in interviews set to air during the evening news. “The president will have an opportunity to focus on the harmful local impacts that will be felt if congressional Republicans refuse to compromise,” a White House official said. Congress is not in session this week and is not expected to reach a deal by the March 1 deadline. Instead, lawmakers will work on a deal to fund government agencies later in the month. The “sequestration” battle is the latest in a series of fights between Obama and Republicans over the nation’s deficit. Obama also has tried to lay the groundwork for a broader economic strategy and argued the government should invest in infrastructure and
manufacturing to help address a stubbornly high unemployment rate. Yesterday, he will provide more details about a $50 billion spending plan he discussed in his State of the Union address last week that the White House is calling “Fix It First.” Most of that money would go to roads, bridges and airports that have postponed maintenance projects, the White House said. But any new spending will face an uphill battle in Congress. Obama also will talk about a plan to cut the time it takes to review and provide permits for projects like roads, bridges, railways, ports and pipelines, the White House said.
Prosecution in... From page 24 Roux said. ‘’It is not a steroid and it is not a banned substance.’’ Police ‘’take every piece of evidence and try to extract the most possibly negative connotation and present it to the court,’’ senior defense lawyer Roux said. The debate over the substance added another dramatic twist to a case that has already gripped the world’s attention since Steenkamp’s killing at Pistorius’ home last Thursday. Prosecutor Nel also had to clarify that police were not
saying that Pistorius was using the substance, only that it was discovered along with the needles in his bedroom. Pistorius said Tuesday in a written affidavit and read in court by Roux that he mistakenly killed model Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day when he fired four shots into a locked toilet door, hitting his girlfriend three times after thinking she was a dangerous intruder. The prosecution claims Pistorius intended to kill the 29-yearold Steenkamp after they had a fight.
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Bulgarian government resigns amid growing protests SOFIA (Reuters) Bulgaria’s government resigned yesterday after mass protests against high power prices and falling living standards, joining a long list of European administrations felled by austerity during four years of debt crisis. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, an ex-bodyguard who took power in 2009 on pledges to root out graft and raise incomes in the European Union’s poorest member, faces a tough task of propping up eroding support ahead of an expected early election. Wage and pension freezes and tax hikes have bitten deep in a country where earnings are less than half the EU average and tens of thousands of Bulgarians have rallied in protests that have turned violent, chanting “Mafia” and “Resign”. Moves by Borisov on Tuesday to blame foreign utility companies for the rise in the cost of heating homes was to no avail and an eleventh day of marches saw 15 people hospitalized and 25 arrested in clashes with police. “My decision to resign
will not be changed under any circumstances. I do not build roads so that blood is shed on them,” said Borisov, who began his career guarding the Black Sea state’s communist dictator Todor Zhivkov. A karate black belt, Borisov has cultivated a Putin-like “can-do” image since he entered politics as Sofia mayor in 2005 and would connect with voters by showing up on the capital’s rutted streets to oversee the repair of pot-holes. But critics say he has often skirted due process, sometimes to the benefit of those close to him, and his swift policy U-turns have wounded the public’s trust. The spark for the protests was high electricity bills, after the government raised prices by 13 percent last July. But it quickly spilled over into wider frustration with Borisov and political elites with perceived links to shadowy businesses. “He made my day,” said student Borislav Hadzhiev in central Sofia, commenting on Borisov’s resignation. “The truth is that we’re living in an extremely poor country.” The prime minister’s final
desperate moves on Tuesday included cutting power prices and risking a diplomatic row with the Czech Republic by punishing companies including CEZ, moves which conflicted with EU norms on protection of investors and due process. CEZ officials were hopeful on Wednesday that it would be able to avoid losing its distribution license after all and officials from the Bulgarian regulator said the company would not be punished if it dealt with breaches of procedure. But shares in what is central Europe’s largest publicly-listed company fell another 1 percent on Wednesday. If pushed through, the fines for CEZ and two other foreign-owned firms will not encourage other investors in Bulgaria, who already have to navigate complicated bureaucracy and widespread corruption and organized crime to take advantage of Bulgaria’s 10-percent flat tax rate. Financial markets reacted negatively to the turbulence on Wednesday. The cost of insuring Bulgaria’s debt rose
Violent protests sweep Bulgaria to a three-month high and debt yields rose some 15 basis points, though the country’s low deficit of 0.5 percent of gross domestic product means there is little risk to the lev currency’s peg against the euro. Borisov’s interior minister indicated that elections originally planned for July would probably be pulled forward by saying that his rightist GERB party would not take part in talks to form a new government. GERB’s woes have echoes in another excommunist EU member, Slovenia, where
demonstrators have taken to the streets and added pressure to a crumbling conservative government. A small crowd gathered in support of Borisov outside Sofia’s parliament, which is expected to approve his resignation today, while bigger demonstrations against the premier were expected in the evening. Unemployment in the country of 7.3 million is far from the highs hit in the decade after the end of communism but remains at 11.9 percent. Average salaries are stuck at around 800 levs
($550) a month and millions have emigrated, leaving swathes of the country depopulated and little hope for those who remain. GERB’s popularity has held up well and it still led in the latest polls before protests grew in size last weekend, but analysts say the opposition Socialists should draw strength from the demonstrations. The leftists, successors to Bulgaria’s communist party, have proposed tax cuts and wage hikes and are likely to raise questions about public finances if elected.
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Cocaine bust Investigators are seeking key persons who may have played major roles in the smuggling of a large quantity of cocaine that was discovered in a lumber shipment destined for the Netherlands (Holland) on Tuesday. The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) has however continued its probe into the matter now checking six remaining containers that were also scheduled to leave for Europe. Sources say that so far, three persons, including a Dutch national; Edgar Boesenach, of Coralita Avenue, Bel Air and a Guyanese, Raymond Ghani, a local manager at the Soesdyke sawmill, where the lumber was said to have been packed, are in police custody assisting with the probe. On Tuesday, the Guyana Revenue Authority said that it unearthed about 360 kilograms of cocaine packed in hollowed out lumber. They had only checked one container at the time but yesterday, CANU head James Singh, confirmed that the agency was continuing their probe by checking other containers. Information is that the lumber company, Guyana
Timber Products Inc, was under surveillance by CANU over a few weeks. The company is said to have offices located at Prashad Nagar and another on the East Bank Demerara. The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) was said to have closed the sawmill two weeks prior to the bust, because the company allegedly engaged in four illegal shipments of smuggled lumber. It was also established that only recently the company was fined millions of dollars by Forestry for irregularities, but it never made the payments while continuing to ship timber. According to sources, the local manager, Ghani, was warned last year by forestry for reportedly drilling several pieces of lumber in a container destined for Europe. Ever since, drug agents said that the manager had been under surveillance. It is believed that several drug dealers have portions in the drug shipment, ranks said. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) said in a press release yesterday that the agency’s Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) discovered a total of 359.8kilograms of cocaine in a shipment of lumber. It said
Thursday February 21, 2013
Four more containers searched, no cocaine found The drugs packed in the hollowed out lumber
that on January 17, 2013, a representative of the Guyana Timber Products Inc. approached the DEU with documentation to be processed for the exportation of seven containers of Mats of Hardwood (MHW). On January 21, 2013, the shipment was inspected and certified by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and was issued with the relevant
certifications by the agency. On January 30, 2013, GRA said, while the containers were being scanned, anomalies were observed and three containers were determined necessary for a secondary examination. It was determined that images were not in keeping with the information contained on the C72 Form, which clearly indicated that the content of the containers were the MHW. Among the contents of the container were blocks of hardwood. GRA said that its staff members are required to establish that the contents in the containers are in keeping with agency regulations. GRA said that when examined by DEU, discrepancies were noticed in the physical content and colour coding of some of the logs. Having confirmed that those were the logs that
presented the anomalies, instructions were given for one of the logs to be drilled which resulted in the discovery of the white powdery substance which tested to be cocaine. The logs numbering eight were opened in the presence of officials from CANU, DEU, GFC and the shipping agent. Each plank, with the exception of one, GRA said contained 40 bricks. A total of 314 bricks of cocaine were discovered at the completion of the examination. Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) investigators are also saying that GFC had uncovered fraudulent activities by the exporter of finished timber products to Europe in 2012. The GRA continued that as investigation continued with the involvement of other relevant agencies, it was discovered that in late
January 2013 the company had moved square timber which were not approved for export by the GFC to a wharf in Georgetown from their production site and as such the GFC insisted that the seven containers on the wharf be detained. Loose information is that some irregularities from state agents may have resulted in the containers getting the go ahead as past illegal shipments had been facilitated. The cocaine has a street value of hundreds of millions of US dollars. A collaborated effort by state agents may have facilitated the massive bust. In the last two years, there have been several major drug busts with the largest ever being in October of 1998, when 6,940 pounds of cocaine valued at US$288 million was found aboard the MV Danielsen.
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Non compliant Town Clerk causes private contractors to lash out for pay Irate private contractors hired to clean up the city’s waste are calling on the relevant authorities to make their pay available for services rendered since January last year. The private operators said that they have not been paid for the first five months of last year and it is their understanding that it is because Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba, is refusing to give the okay for the contractors to be paid. It was on their behalf, the men complained, that at City Hall’s statuary meeting in September, Sooba was ordered to pay the contractors immediately. “Still today they have not made our money available to us,” one of the frustrated contractors proclaimed. The private truck owners said that payments are outstanding from last year January to May. They say that they are owed over $1M. One year later, monies are
not being paid although letters have been sent to the Town Clerk and the Ministry of Local Government, whose intervention was being sought in the matter. The contractors, some of whom have over 20 years of service to City Hall, said that when they approached the Town Clerk on the issue; she initially said that the money was not available and that there was none to make payments. On another occasion, they said that Sooba claimed to be waiting on approval from the Local Government Minister but later changed to say that before making payments, there must be presentation of contracts for services rendered. The men are however, challenging that for the 20odd years some of them have worked with the Council, there had been no written contracts since the agreements were being made orally. They said it is thus conflictive and an
“eye pass” that the Town Clerk should demand contracts before giving them their pay. The men have also charged that they have been in the background fighting the garbage situation. “When dem big companies like Puran and Cevons go on strike, is we does do the work. We are the ones who clean up the mess when things go wrong.” As a result of the unfair treatment, the contractors said they have ceased working since June last year, “And that is why garbage is all over de place, cause we are de backbone (and we) are no longer operating.” The contractors produced two letters that were sent to Minister within the Local Government Ministry, Norman Whittaker on October 17, last year and again on January 9, 2013 requesting the Ministry’s assistance. The first letter informed the Minister about the
White substances being sold as flour- Namilco - Consumers, supermarkets, shops and grocery stores warned
The unauthorized package “Regal Superior Quality Long Grain Rice Packed for Regal Distributors Ltd. Kingston Free Zone, Jamaica” which contains the white substance being sold as flour. National Milling Company of Guyana Inc. (Namilco) says that unauthorized distribution of a white substance packaged as flour in a 4.5 kg bag marked
Product of Guyana is in circulation, and consumers are being warned to beware. “We would like to inform the public that we have not authorized anyone to re-
package our products. In fact we have been dissuading supermarkets, shops and grocery stores from doing so as it is unhygienic. We are the only flour miller in Guyana and we can safely say from our tests that this white substance is not Namilco’s flour, Namilco, Managing Director, Bert Sukhai noted. The Managing Director further explained that someone or a company is selling a white substance as flour packed in a 4.5 kg bag marked Product of Guyana. The bag is labeled “Regal Superior Quality Long Grain Rice Packed for Regal Distributors Ltd. Kingston Free Zone, Jamaica” and carries no expiry or manufacture date. This, he said was discovered on a visit to Linden this week “we have noticed a lot of these packages being sold. Whoever is doing the packaging of this product is putting people’s lives and health at risk. We have written the Food and Drug Department and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards in this regard and hope they will take corrective action.” Adding that Namilco will not accept responsibility for any repercussions emanating from the consumption of this product, Sukhai said the company is an ISO 9001 certified company and would adhere to strict guidelines and Standards.
contractors’ plight and the alleged disrespect meted out to them by the Town Clerk who sent away one of the contractors seeking to find out about their pay. It continued that when the issue was raised by the deputy Mayor at the Council’s September 24 Statutory meeting, Sooba said that the payments would be made later that day. The second letter sent last January, was a follow up reminding the Minister of the commitments to pay the contractors. According to the correspondence, the Council’s Finance Committee had already circulated and approved the payment which is sitting in the treasurer’s office. The treasurer is awaiting instructions to make payments. A response from the Local Government Ministry, the contractors claimed, was that payment vouchers were received for the contractors but no supporting or source documents were released while the vouchers themselves held no signatures. The workers said that a mess up in procedures has been cited by the
Ministry for the mix up. The workers are however willing to accept no more excuses from those who owe them their pay. Joseph Waldron said that he has his mortgage to pay and his understanding is that the Town Clerk was ordered to pay since there is no reason why she should not. Mr. Dundas, another contractor said that the Town Clerk is saying that she has to see contracts before payment. He however, said that working with City Hall for over 20 years, he has always been working on a verbal contract condition. He said it is heartrending to be supporting and working with the city for so long and having to endure this embarrassment. Another contractor, Richard Rayside, also charged that for the 22 years that he has worked with City Hall, there had not been contract issues, yet the Town Clerk is requesting contracts that were never given before making payments. These were the sentiments of four other contractors waiting for their monies. The men said that in total,
about $18M is owed because of the constant discrepancies with payment, which causes the money to grow. The men said that there is a work ledger which shows services that were provided and it would confirm services rendered. The contractors said that they have to gas their own vehicles, hire their own workers and repair their own trucks. When they work they said that they would meet at the stone depot, Princes Street, and an officer would dispatch them to the various locations. Truck loads are recorded and dated in the ledger which is later sent to the engineer who verifies and approves payments. When Kaieteur News made contact with the Town Clerk for a comment she said, “I want nothing to do with Kaieteur News,” and that she would not be talking to the newspaper. Kaieteur News was however told that another letter along with supporting documents would be sent by the Council’s Finance Committee to the Local Government Minister, before the contractors resort to protest action.
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Plans apace for free kidney transplants by midyear – Dr Doobay Three renal failure patients have been identified for free kidney transplant operations, an initiative which has been spearheaded by the Doobay Renal Centre Inc. located at Annandale, East Coast Demerara. According to Founder of the facility Dr Budhendranauth Doobay, the transplant operation which is set for May or June of this year will in fact represent an alliance with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). He explained that once all plans remain on track, the surgical operations will be undertaken at the public facility and the surgical team will travel from the McMaster Medical Centre in Canada. “So we are bringing this team from McMaster and they will be coming at their own expense, bringing all the instruments and we will do it at the GPHC if everything is on track.” “Our Transplant Nephrologist came to meet with the GPHC and everything is supposed to be on track to operate on the three patients who will be transplanted on without paying a single cent,” said Dr Doobay yesterday.
Dr Budhendranauth Doobay The Doobay Renal Centre, which opened its doors during the latter part of 2011, has been working in close collaboration with the McMaster Medical Centre. According to Dr Doobay, “all of our patients are connected with people at McMaster through a master plan.” There are currently about 40 patients accessing dialysis and other medical care at the Doobay Centre. Dr Doobay himself is a vascular surgeon who migrated to Canada some years ago and has established himself there as a very reputable medical practitioner. Since forming the
Patients undergoing dialysis at the Doobay Renal Centre yesterday local renal centre, which is a registered not for profit organisation, he has been returning to render his expert service which is expected to expand with the introduction free kidney transplants. This is arguably the first time that such a high cost operation will be offered free to patients, most of whom can ill-afford to fund the medical care required for their condition. During the latter part of last year, Nephrologist, Azim Gangji, of the McMaster Medical Centre visited the
GPHC to meet with officials to engage talks on the transplantation plans. Himself and other kidney doctors from the Canadian Medical Centre are affiliated with the Renal Centre and have been offering their expertise there on a voluntary basis. Dr Gangji was the fourth Nephrologist to visit the facility for last year and has been collaborating with the renal centre staffers to provide a subsidized dialysis service which is offered at $9,000 per session. However, Gangji in an
interview with this newspaper said that dialysis is in fact a temporary measure and could be used as a bridge to transplantation. He noted that while the idea of dialysis was viewed as a “big venture” measures have been introduced to take the care of renal failure patients’ one step further. He revealed that realistically, every patient is eligible for transplant and there is no age criteria b u t r a t h e r i t i s dependent on their health status. He said that often patients
on dialysis are concerned about their options and some are even afraid to enquire. At the same time, he said, donors may not be aware of the ways they can help their loved ones on dialysis. He noted that efforts are being made to educate patients as well as their relatives, a move which has already commenced at the Doobay Renal Centre. “This idea of educating will hopefully bring that gap a bit closer and allow the idea of transplantation to really start off,” he speculated.
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Thursday February 21, 2013
Thursday February 21, 2013
NCN CHANNEL 11 05:00 hrs – Inspiration 05:30 hrs – Newtown Gospel 06:00 hrs – NCN Late Edition News(r/b) 06:30 hrs – BBC 07:00 hrs – Guyana Today 08:00 hrs – Feature 09:00 hrs – Stop the Suffering 10:00 hrs – CCTV 11:00 hrs – History 12:00 hrs – CNN 12:30 hrs – NCN Newsbreak 12:35 hrs – Focus R/B 13:00 hrs – Movie 14:00 hrs – NCN NEWSBREAK 14:30 hrs – Children’s Mash Competition-2013 GINA 15:00 hrs – Children’s Mash 16:00 hrs – Newsbreak 17:00 hrs – Anderson
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18:00 hrs – NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30 hrs – Farming Today 19:00 hrs – Al Jazeera 19:30 hrs – NIS & YOU 20:00 hrs – 3d/daily millions/ play de dream/lotto draw 20:05 hrs – Newsbreak 20:10 hrs – Support for Security Reforms- GINA 20:30 hrs – Numerous Opportunities for Youth Empowerment-GINA 21:00 hrs – 2013 Calypso Finals 22:00 hrs – NCN News Late Edition 22:35 hrs – Caribbean Newsline 23:00 hrs – Movie DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55 hrs. Sign On
09:00 hrs. This Morning 10:00 hrs. Live! With Kelly and Michael 11:00 hrs. Roseanne 12:00 hrs. The View 13:00 hrs. Prime News 13:30 hrs. The Young and the Restless 14:30 hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 15:00 hrs. DTV’s Festival of Biblical Movie for the Lenten Season: “Jacob” 16:00 hrs. Without a Trace 18:00 hrs. World News 18:30 hrs. The Wayans Bros 19:00 hrs. Greetings and Announcements 21:00 hrs. The Big Bang Theory 21:30 hrs. Two and a Half Man 22:00 hrs. Person of Interest
Thursday February 21, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Although the shortest distance between two points is your preferred route, your path might not be so direct today. Your boundaries are fuzzy and it’s difficult to discern what’s real from what’s imagined. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Idealism motivates you more than practicality today, but you could benefit by joining forces with a work group, social club, or political organization rather than going it alone. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You are dreaming about your potential success in the outer world, and your fantasies can inspire you to do great things now regardless of your current work situation. CANCER (June 21–July 22) It’s nearly impossible to keep your feet on the ground today because your head is floating up in the clouds of illusion. You might wish you could escape into a sci-fi movie or a romance novel. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You might have weird feelings that are difficult to understand because your heightened sensitivity has you treading on unfamiliar ground today. On one hand, it’s quite exciting that you’re so empathic now; it’s fascinating to know what others are feeling. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You want to be seen by your peers and appreciated by those you love, but the image that you are projecting now might not be the true you. You can do an amazing job of bending reality to meet your needs today, but this is a dangerous game to play.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You are motivated to discuss subjects that are normally difficult to pin down, but you may not be as clear as you think today. Sharing your visions by putting them into words doesn’t make them real. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Exquisitely beautiful visions can be the source of inspiration today, prompting you to spread joy or create a work of art. You are particularly enchanted by a romantic or artistic attraction, and might fall deeper into a fantasy than you ever intended. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) You can slip into the role of a shape-shifter today because your feelings impact your physical presence. Others may see you as largerthan-life if you are feeling good. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You may be drawn into a philosophical discussion today or enticed into taking a journey of spiritual exploration. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Your ability to quickly discern what’s most important pays off since you’re currently more likely to receive intuitive flashes when you least expect them. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your key planet Neptune hooks up with the Sun today, revealing unseen mysteries in broad daylight. You could have a momentary glimpse of a wider universe as the crack in in the cosmic egg breaks the shell that normally contains your rational world, giving you a whole new way of looking at things.
(New Episode) 23:00 hrs. Elementary (New Episode) 00:00 hrs. Sign Off
Guides are subjected to change without notice
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Thursday February 21, 2013
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GSL\Regal Stationery\ Mike’s Copy Center\ Star Party Rentals cricket...
U.S. gauging interest Persaud grabs 5 as Wolf Warriors in 2024 Olympic bid beat LBI Top Gun by 10 wkts Davanand Persaud grabbed 5 wickets for 3 runs form 2 overs as Wolf ’s Warriors defeated LBI Top Gun by 10 wickets when play in the Georgetown Softball League\ Regal Stationery and Computer Center\Mike’s Copy Center and Star Party Rentals cricket competition continued last Sunday. In the open category, at Everest, LBI Top Gun batted first and were skittled for 16 in 4.3 overs. Diaram Persaud supported Davanand with 44. Wolf ’s Warriors then knocked off the required target in 2.2 overs as they finished on 21 with out loss; Azad Azeez made 16 for the winners. Regal XI overcame Success Warriors by 22 runs. Richard Latiff 22 and Ganesh Narine 21 were Regal XI leading batsmen as they posted 109-7 in 12 overs. Satish Ramsarran claimed 321. Success Warriors managed 87-9 in 12 overs in reply. Extras contributed 24 as Safraz Esau and Ricky Sargeant took 3 wickets each. Queens Park Rangers went down to Regal XI by 7 wickets. Queens Park were routed for 40 in 10.4 overs with Karamchand Jaikarran 10 being the only batsman to reach double figures. Mohamed Yussuf claimed 31 and Ricky Sargeant 3-18. Regal XI responded with 423 in 6.5 overs. Balram Ramroop made 15 and Mohamed Ayume 12; Roger Etwaroo picked up 2-16. Wolf’s Warriors got the better of Young Gun by 7 runs. Wolf’s Warriors took first strike and rattled up 148-
5 off their allotted 12 overs with Azaad Azeez top scoring 66. E. Sharam had 2-21. Young Guns in reply scored 141-4 in 12 overs. A. Giag made 42 and C. Viera 34 as Narine Bailey snared 3-9. In the Masters category, Frontline defeated Everest by 5 wickets. Everest were bowled out for 53 in 10 overs after taking first strike. Mohamed Rafeek captured 316. Frontline responded with 55-5 in 9.4 overs. Anand Kunai led with 25 while Arjune Persaud snared 3-16. Regal Masters thrashed Super Star XI by 78 runs. Raymond Harper slammed 56 and got support from Jaga Bojh 37 as Regal piled up 1738 batting first; Danny Boodram took 3-18. Super Star XI mustered 95-9 in response. Tyron Sanasie claimed 4-9 and Mahendra Arjune 4-26. In the female category, at GNIC, Trophy Stall Angels hammered Lady Jags by 54 runs. Trophy Stall Angels made 112-3 in 12 overs after batting first. Roxanne De Monick stroked an even half as Alicia Allen bagged 6-11 for Lady Jags who could only muster 58 before being bowled out in 11.4 overs in their turn at the crease. D. Prescott made 22 as D. Amos, S. Cort and N. Cumberbatch took 1 wicket apiece. Well Woman beat 4 R Lioness by 8 wickets. 4 R Lioness took first turn at the crease and posted 84-2 in 12 overs with Temica Wilson scoring 34 and Ruth George 31. H. Mohamed took 2-16. Well Woman replied with 872 in 10 overs. Zola Telford was their leading run getter with 49 while Katana Mentore
chipped in with 21. Abigail Scott claimed 2-10. Regal Champs got pass Trophy Stall Angels by 5 wickets. Trophy Stall Angels batted first and scored 95-9 in 12 overs. Alicia Allen made 27 and Odessa O’Neal 23; Nalini Sumintra and Matana Cambridge snared 2 wickets each. Regal Champs replied with 96-5 in 12 overs. Dawn Nichols got 34 and Sumintra 20. Anisa Persaud captured 38. The competition continues on Sunday with Savage facing Park Rangers and M.K Ogle respectively at CPCE ground , and Regal Masters taking on Industry Super Stars and Everest correspondingly at Everest in the over 35 class. In the Male open category Rockaway will play Trophy Stall Angels and Marshon XI (in that order), Superior Woods and Marshon XI will do battle, Queens Park Rangers will play Flashers, Elcomandante will clash with Young Guns, Flashers will tackle Young Guns, Mon Repo will entertain Elcomandante, Vipers versus Mon Repo, Trophy Stall will match skills with LBI Top Gun, Speed Boat will face Farm, Accomplishment will battle Princess XI and Omesh XI will come up against LBI Top Gun at Everest. The female and over 35 champions will take home a trophy and $100,000 and the runner up will receive $50,000 and a trophy, while the victorious male open team will cart off a trophy and $200,000 with the runner up grabbing $100,000 and a trophy. (Zaheer Mohamed)
Fazia’s Collection / WDFA U-17 Girls Inter School Tourney...
ZEEBURG & LEONORA ARE LATEST WINNERS
Leonora Secondary made it a perfect two out of two when they got past West Demerara by the lone goal of their encounter when competition in the Fazia’s Collection / West Demerara Football Association Inter Secondary School competition continued at the Den Amstel Community Centre Ground. On Tuesday, Leonora, having defeated Uitvlugt Secondary in the first game of this historical tournament, found the West Demerara
Sec. defence hard to penetrate which resulted in the lone goal of the match in favour of Leonora which was scored in the 4th minute by Mandy Dainty. After being the hero, Dainty would turn out to be the villain having been red carded in the 19th minute. Despite playing one player less, Leonora were able to rally through to take full points and record their second win. The defeat was West Demerara’s second
consecutive having also lost to Uitvlugt 9-0. On Monday, Zeeburg Secondary were in ripping form against Vreed-en-hoop Secondary whom they blasted 6-0. Leading the goal charge was Margaret Pillay who netted a hat-trick. She opened proceedings in the 6th minute and followed up with goals in the 36th and 51st minute. Mariah Clarke converted in the 18th, La Shawn La Rose in the 20th and Kezia Baird in the 38th minute.
(Reuters) - The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) sent letters to the mayors of 35 American cities on Tuesday to gauge their interest in bidding for the 2024 Summer Games. Having mended fences with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following a bitter revenuesharing dispute the United States appears ready to again make a run at hosting an Olympic Games after two stunning rejections. New York, a losing finalist for the 2012 Summer Games, and Chicago, which made a shock first-round exit in voting for the 2016 Olympics, are among the 35 cities canvassed by the USOC. The letter signed by USOC chief executive officer Scott Blackmun was sent to the mayors of America’s 25 largest cities plus 10 others that have expressed interest in hosting a Games. The USOC emphasized that reaching out to potential host cities does not guarantee the U.S. will bid for the 2024 Games, but rather is an initial
step, in evaluating a potential bid. Based on expected IOC deadlines, the USOC said it has a little over two years to decide whether to submit a bid. “We would like to begin having discussions with interested cities about possible bid themes as well as the infrastructure, financial resources and other assets that are required to host the Games,” wrote Blackmun. “Our objective in this process is to identify a partner city that can work with us to present a compelling bid to the IOC and that has the right
Scott Blackmun REUTERS/Brendan McDermid alignment of political, business and community leadership.” Atlanta was the last U.S. city to host a Summer Games in 1996 while Salt Lake City staged the 2002 Winter Games.
Lloyd makes formal... From page 37 In an invited comment yesterday Mr. Lloyd said if given a chance he is confident he can do a good job. “We have not moved from the number seven position in a long time and West Indies cricket needs new blood. My major aim is to improve the game in all aspects. The Board, cricketers and the West Indies Players Association need to work hand in hand in the interest of the sport,” he added. Lloyd who led the region to success in the 1975 and 1979 World Cup stated that the players should be handled in the right manner so that when they reached the top they will be ready.
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Thursday February 21, 2013
DeSinco Trading are 5th Inter Corporation Dominoes Champs DeSinco Trading are new champs of Inter Corporation Dominoes when the 5th annual edition was contested at the Next Level Sports, in the city. The John and Sheriff Streets, Campbellville based entity carted off the top prize of $250,000, trophy and 9 medals in what has been described as a keen battle which also involved their neighbours Bayridge Taxi Service and the Mayor & City Council; the competition was organized by Next Level Sports Club. Some forty-three (43) entities contested the competition and in a matter of three days it boiled down to the final seven teams, Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company Limited (GT&T), Goldyn & Sons, Ministry of Health (MOH), Mayor & City Council (M&CC), Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), DeSinco Trading and Bayridge Taxi Service. Matches played at Dynasty Sports Club saw favourites MOH being eliminated by DHB and
M&CC, while GT&T, who were playing very well leading up to the penultimate sitting, tried to assist DeSinco but were eliminated. Bayridge drew the bye. The next match saw Bayridge coming up against Goldyn & Sons and DeSinco Trading and the Campbellville combination made no mistake as they sent the star studded Goldyn & Sons packing from the competition. When action shifted to the Strikers Sports Club for the semifinals and final, it commenced with DeSinco Trading drawing the bye to the final. Underdogs Bayridge were up against DHB & M&CC and as it turned out, DHB were knocked out and back to Harbour Bridge to ensure that maintenance work remained on schedule. The eagerly anticipated final commenced and it was DeSinco Trading which cantered into the lead with no real threat up to the fourth sitting, tables and chairs were banged on as the supporters of the various teams voiced their varying opinions
throughout the match. Heading into the final sitting it seemed like a one sided affair as the scores read DeSinco Trading 69 games, M&CC 61 games and Bayridge in the cellar on 56 games. Bayridge made the maximum 18 games in the final sitting and had their Captain Hugh Gordon been more strategic by taking a glimpse at the master board they would have been victorious, his focus was on M&CC and they gave away two crucial games to DeSinco Trading which cost them the championship. At the end of the final sitting the scores read, DeSinco Trading 75 games, Bayridge 74 games and M&CC 72 games. The organizers are extending appreciation to the entities who have been on board from the inception of this annual competition, Beverage Giants Banks DIH the exclusive sponsor of the first prize, trophy and medals and Nigel’s Supermarket who has doubled the hampers this time around.
Also on board this year were Swansea Industrial Associates, Guiana Holdings Inc., Supremacy Trading & Investments, Wendy’s Hair Salon, Humphreys Bakery & Farm Products, Bovell Construction, Becks Lumber Yard, Patterson & Patterson Associates, Intikab Alli
Jewellery, Big Boss Transportation Services, Western Union, Courts Guyana Inc. and The Trophy Stall. The collective support of these entities it was disclosed, would have aided Next Level Sports Club is achieving their goal of bringing together
Ministries, Corporations and business entities in a harmonious and nationalistic oriented manner through the sport of dominoes. The presentation of prizes would be held on Friday at the Banks DIH Sports Club beginning at 18:00hrs.
Witness heard “non-stop shouting” in Pistorius home before shooting PRETORIA (Reuters) - A witness heard “non-stop shouting” in the home of athletics star Oscar Pistorius shortly before his girlfriend was shot dead, the lead detective in the murder investigation said on Wednesday. Warrant officer Hilton Botha, a detective with 24 years on the force, also told the Pretoria magistrates court that police had found two containers of testosterone and needles in Pistorius’ bedroom. Pistorius, a double amputee dubbed “Blade Runner” because he raced on carbon fibre blades, sobbed uncontrollably as Botha presented his testimony about the death of Reeva Steenkamp, 29. The law graduate and model was in the toilet of the athlete’s home when she was shot dead. The shooting and allegations that have emerged at the bail hearing have stunned South Africa and millions of people around the world who regarded Pistorius, who has no lower legs, as the epitome of sporting triumph over adversity. “One of our witnesses heard a fight, two people talking loudly at each other ... from two in the morning to three,” Botha told the court. In an affidavit delivered on Tuesday, Pistorius said he woke in the middle of the night and thought an intruder had climbed through his bathroom window and entered the adjoining toilet. The 26-year-old said he grabbed a 9-mm pistol from under his bed and went into the bathroom. Pistorius - the highestprofile athlete in the history of the Paralympics - then described how he fired into the locked toilet door in a blind panic in the belief the intruder was lurking inside. In his testimony on Wednesday, Botha disputed Pistorius’ affidavit. TRAJECTORY “I believe he knew she (Steenkamp) was in the bathroom and he shot four shots through the door,” the detective said, adding the
Oscar Pistorius REUTERS/ Siphiwe Sibeko angle at which the rounds were fired suggested they were aimed deliberately at somebody on the toilet. Pistorius had said he moved into the bathroom on his stumps - the reason he felt so vulnerable - but Botha said the shots went in a “top to bottom” trajectory, suggesting Pistorius was wearing his artificial legs when he pulled the trigger. “It seems to me it was fired down,” he said. Botha also cited another witness on the upscale gated community near Pretoria where Pistorius lived as saying he heard a shot, followed 17 minutes later by more shots. Another witness also spoke of a shot followed by screams, followed by more shots, he said. Steenkamp was hit in the head, arm and hip in the lockersized toilet room adjoining the bathroom, which itself led from the bedroom. Pistorius’ defence team disputed Botha’s reference to “testosterone”, saying the substance was a legitimate herbal remedy called “testocomposutim co-enzyme”. Details on the makeup of testo-composutim coenzyme were not immediately available but administering testosterone as an anabolic agent is banned at all times under World AntiDoping Agency rules for sports people. ANGER At Steenkamp’s funeral in the south coast city of Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, grief was tinged with anger. “I’m
disgusted with what he did. He must be dealt with harshly,” said Gavin Venter, an ex-jockey who worked for Steenkamp’s father. “Without a doubt he’s a danger to the public. He’ll be a danger to witnesses. He must stay in jail.” The case has drawn further attention to endemic violence against women in South Africa after the gang-rape, mutilation and murder of a 17-year-old near Cape Town this month. Members of the Women’s League of the ruling African National Congress protested outside the Pretoria court, waving placards saying: “No Bail for Pistorius” and “Rot in jail”. The arrest of Pistorius stunned the millions who had watched in awe last year as the Olympic and Paralympic sprinter reached the semifinal of the 400 meters in the London Olympics. But the impact has been greatest in sports-mad South Africa, where Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who had transcended the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid. He carried South Africa’s flag at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, and U.S. magazine Sports Illustrated named him as one of the most inspiring figures of the year. “Many questions are being asked, but we have no answers,” Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said in a statement. The sprinter’s endorsements and sponsorships included sportswear giant Nike, British telecoms firm BT, sunglasses maker Oakley and French designer Thierry Mugler and were thought to be worth as much as $2 million a year. In his affidavit, Pistorius said he earned 5.6 million rand ($630,500) a year and owned properties worth nearly $1 million. However, Nike and Mugler both said they had dropped Pistorius from advertising campaigns, while cosmetics firm Clarins said it was recalling its “A Man” perfume range out of “respect and compassion towards the families involved.”
Thursday February 21, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Thursday February 21, 2013
ECI Engineering to Maradona dreams of son playing with Messi and Aguero boys sponsor Mash Day Golf BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Diego Maradona dreams of seeing his newborn son Diego Fernando playing for Argentina with the offspring of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, he said on Tuesday. Maradona’s former girlfriend Victoria Ojeda gave birth to Diego Fernando in Buenos Aires last week. Messi’s son is 3-1/2 months old while Aguero’s boy was four on Tuesday. “One of them will have to play as a midfielder. I think Thiago (Messi) will command the others. Benjamin (Aguero) will play as a forward and Thiago will play alongside Dieguito Fernando,” Maradona told a local radio station from Dubai. Maradona, who is Benjamin Aguero’s grandfather, said as soon as his commercial obligations allow, he will travel to Buenos Aires to meet his son. “I’m under contract in Dubai until June, and then I’ll go to Argentina but I won’t stay long,” said the 52-year-
Argentine former soccer star Diego Maradona attends the final session of the first day of the seventh Dubai International Sports Conference in Dubai, December 28, 2012. REUTERS/ Mohammed Abu Omar old former Argentina captain and coach. “I’ll see him (Diego Fernando) all the time possible. He will have everything he needs.” Maradona had two daughters, Dalma and Giannina, with his ex-wife Claudia Villafane. In the 1980s, during his days at Serie A club Napoli in Italy, Maradona fathered
another son, called Diego Jr, who he said was born following a relationship that lasted a day. Maradona, one of football’s all-time greats, took up his current post as honorary sports ambassador in Dubai in September, less than two months after being sacked by the United Arab Emirates club Al Wasl.
Golfers will participate in the true spirit of Mashramani Saturday in the ECI Engineering Services sponsored inaugural Medal Play tournament at the Lusignan Course. Tee off is at 09:00 hours. President of the Lusignan golf Club, Jerome Khan said he would like to welcome ECI Engineering Services as a new partner with the Club and has encouraged players to come out and support this holiday tournament. Khan said the course is in immaculate condition so players can look forward to an excellent day of golf. With John Tracey showing early form this other competitors will be looking to emulate his feat. Tracey won last Saturday’s Stag Beer tournament in impressive fashion but will face
still opposition from Carlos Munaff Arjune, Carlos Adams, Patrick Prashad, Gavin Todd, Imran Khan, Andre Cummings, Mohanlall Dinnanauth, Christin Sukhram, Troy Cadogan, Brian Hackett, William Walker, Clifford Reis, Maurice Solomon, Dr. Ramsingh Robert Hanoman, Albert Semple, Mark Lashley, Kishan Bacchus, Dave Mohamed, Chatterpaul Deo, Brian Glasford, Ronald Bulkan, Fazil Deo, Muntaz Haniff, Ayude Ali, Colin Ming and Mike Gayadin. Prizes will be awarded to the top three players with the best net scores as well as Nearest to the Pin and Best Gross. Khan disclosed that officials of ECI Engineering will be on hand to present prizes at the prize giving ceremony scheduled for approximately 15:00 hours.
“Toxic” culture fuelled Aussie swimming flop SYDNEY (Reuters) - Slack management allowed a “culturally toxic” environment to develop in Australia’s swimming team at the London Olympics with abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs, as well as flouting of curfews and bullying going unchecked, a review said on Tuesday. Australia’s worst Olympic swimming performance for 20 years was accompanied by reports of schoolboy pranks, inflated egos, a lack of team unity and unrealistic expectations, prompting the review into team culture by business consultants Bluestone. “Standards, discipline and accountabilities for the swim team at the London Olympics were too loose,” it said. “Situations were left to bleed with not enough follow through for fear of disrupting preparation for competition. “Although few situations relating to London reported through this review were truly grave in nature, they compounded in significance as no one reigned in control. “There were enough culturally toxic incidents across enough team members that breeched agreements (such as getting drunk, misuse of prescription drugs, breeching curfews, deceit, bullying) to warrant a strong, collective leadership response that included coaches, staff and the swimmers. “No such collective action was taken.” Australia’s swimmers are usually expected to lead the country’s charge for medals in the first week of the Games but they failed to win an individual title and ended up with just one relay gold, six silver and three bronze medals.
An Independent Swimming Review into the high performance programme at Swimming Australia commissioned by the Australian Sports Commission also reported on Tuesday, making 35 recommendations for improvements. The report highlighted “a culture of non-strategic business practices and a governance system that did not operate as well as it should” as well as the lack of a “clearly visible national direction”. “As a result, lack of transparency in decision making had led to a growing disillusionment in those who held this responsibility,” it read. Swimming Australia chief Barclay Nettlefold welcomed both reports and acknowledged there was much to be done to restore the credibility of the sport in the country. “Before we look at winning gold medals, we want to win back the admiration of the nation, and we want to engage with our swimming community like never before at every level,” he said in a news release. “Work has already started on the majority of the recommendations in these reports, including the introduction of a high performance director and an ethical framework.” One of the more serious allegations to emerge after London was that some team members had been subjected to initiation rituals involving Stilnox - a sedative banned by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) just before the Games. AOC president John Coates said he was awaiting with interest a Swimming Australia inquiry into the matter. “If the claims are
substantiated and the individuals involved are identified, the AOC will consider their conduct in the context of their Olympic team membership agreement and consider sanctions,” he said in a statement. “LONELY OLYMPICS’ The Bluestone report said there was no headline cultural issue that caused the underperformance, nor did the problems suddenly emerge in London. “The findings of this review were that cultural factors did play a significant role in the ‘unpleasant’ experience that many Australian swimmers, coaches and staff had... and the culture did not appear to assist or support high-level performance for most people,” it said. “Participants reported that in the zealous and streamlined attempts to obtain gold medals, the delicate management of motivation, communication and collaboration were lost.” Once the expected medal haul failed to materialize over the first few days of the meet, team morale plummeted. “Swimmers described these Games as the ‘Lonely Olympics’ and the ‘Individual Olympics’,” it added. “There was not much connection between groups of athletes, or between athletes, staff and coaches other than what was engineered reactively. “At its least attractive, the team dynamic became like a schoolyard clamor for attention and influence.” The report made a raft of recommendations on areas such as standards and accountability, how to build better lines of communication both inside the team and with the media, as well as on building community in the team.
Thursday February 21, 2013
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Lance Armstrong refuses to be Lloyd makes formal request to GCB interviewed under oath by Usada for nomination to WICB presidency BBC Sport - Lance Armstrong has said he will not agree to be interviewed under oath by the United States Anti Doping Agency. The American, 41, admitted taking performanceenhancing drugs during his seven of his Tour de France wins in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. By speaking to Usada, he would have been eligible to have a lifetime ban overturned. But a statement said he “will not participate in prosecutions... that only demonize selected individuals”. Armstrong was initially given until 6 February to meet Usada officials but was allowed a further two weeks to decide whether to be interviewed. An agreement appeared close when Usada said he wanted to “assist in the effort to clean up the sport of cycling” when they agreed to the extension, although those hopes have been dealt a blow with the release of his statement. The Texan’s statement, released by his attorney Tim Herman, said he is willing to help with the investigation but will not be interviewed by Usada. It added: “Lance is willing to cooperate fully and has been very clear: He will be the first man through the door, and once inside will answer every question, at an international tribunal formed to comprehensively address pro cycling, an almost exclusively European sport. “We remain hopeful that an international effort will be mounted, and we will do everything we can to facilitate that result.
Lance Armstrong
“In the meantime, for several reasons, Lance will not participate in Usada’s efforts to selectively conduct American prosecutions that only demonize selected individuals while failing to address the 95% of the sport over which Usada has no jurisdiction.” Usada chief executive Travis Tygart said the agency will continue their investigation to clean up cycling without Armstrong. In a statement, he said: “We have provided Mr Armstrong several opportunities to assist in our ongoing efforts to clean up the sport of cycling. “Following his recent television interview, we again invited him to come in and provide honest information, and he was informed in writing by the World AntiDoping Agency (Wada) that this was the appropriate avenue for him if he wanted to be part of the solution. “Over the last few weeks he has led us to believe that he wanted to come in and assist Usada, but was worried of potential criminal and civil liability if he did so. “Today we learned from the media that Mr Armstrong is choosing not to come in and be truthful and that he will not take the opportunity to
work toward righting his wrongs in sport. “At this time we are moving forward with our investigation without him and we will continue to work closely with Wada and other appropriate and responsible international authorities to fulfil our promise to clean athletes to protect their right to compete on a drug-free playing field.” Armstrong was charged by Usada in June 2012 with using performanceenhancing drugs. He filed a lawsuit against the organisation the following month, accusing them of “corrupt inducements” to other cyclists to testify against him. However, Armstrong then announced in August that he would not fight the doping charges filed against him, and was given a life ban by Usada and stripped of his Tour de France titles. The findings were accepted by the International Cycling Union. Armstrong, who retired from cycling in 2005 but returned to the sport between 2009 and 2012, has called for a ‘truth and reconciliation commission’ overseen by the World Anti-Doping Agency to look into the issue of doping in the sport.
Jamaica U-20s whip Puerto Rico 4-1 in Cup chase Jamaica Observer - Puebla, Mexico — Jamaica made a huge step toward World Cup qualification with an impressive 4-1 win over Puerto Rico in Group C action of the CONCACAF Championship here at the Estadio Cuauhtemoc Tuesday evening. Prolific St George’s College Manning Cupper Kendon Anderson grabbed a brace in the 70th and 81st minute after replacing Cleon Pryce at the interval. Omar Holness had given Jamaica a ninth-minute lead, but Reid Strain had pulled Puerto Rico level in the 26th minute. Damian Lowe restored Jamaica’s advantage in the 62nd minute and became one of the rare father-son combinations to score for their country. His father, Onandi Lowe, scored approximately 27 times for Jamaica from 65 games. Jamaica, with their emphatic victory, moved to the top of the three-team group with three points and will next be in action against
Panama on Saturday. Puerto Rico, who play Panama today, are pointless and must win to stay in the tournament. With two teams advancing from the group, Jamaica look a safe bet to be one of the two, but coach Luciano Gama will have some work to do, as the finishing was rather poor against a clearly weak Puerto Rican aggregation. Jamaica started with five players that participated in the Under-17 World Cup two years ago, and stamped their authority early. The Young Reggae Boyz opened the scoring courtesy of a powerful shot from Omar Holness from just inside the box. But despite bossing possession and threatening to score, Puerto Rico did just that against the run of play. From a rare foray forward, Strain tapped home after the Jamaican defence failed to deal with a simple free kick, which bounced favourably to him. Jamaica were clearly the better team but they failed to put away their chances and must have been disappointed going in 1-1 at the break.
Legendary former West Indies Captain Clive Lloyd yesterday made a formal request to the Guyana Cricket Board to be nominated as a candidate for the post of the WICB President. The GCB will be holding a Special Executive meeting today at 17:00hrs at the Board’s office to consider the request and possibly pass a resolution to back Lloyd’s nomination. A usually reliable source said that the nomination is most likely guaranteed but the search is on to secure a “seconder”. Kaieteur Sport was told that Mr. Lloyd should be able to secure a “seconder” because of his iconic status and influence regionally and internationally. This newspaper understands that both the current President Julian Hunte and Vice President Dave Cameron have already been nominated and seconded for the position. Mr. Lloyd has met with officials of the Barbados Cricket Association and the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board. The fact that the Guyana
Drubahadur (L), and Clive Lloyd (R) Cricket Board has summoned a special meeting to discuss Lloyd’s request means that the GCB has, so far, not nominated or seconded anyone for the top post in West Indies cricket. On the other hand, it could very well mean that the GCB has succumbed to political pressures to change their previous position on the nominations and go with Mr. Lloyd. The present outspoken President of the GCB, Dru Bahadur, indicated that he wants to move the process of
developing Guyana’s cricket and stop all the infighting and adversarial positions that currently exists. Dr. Julian Hunte, a former speaker of the UN general assembly and career diplomat and politician, Mr. Dave Cameroon, a business executive and Mr. Clive Lloyd, a Cricketer extraordinaire all possess the credentials to possibly win this race however, Lloyd still needs to enter the race by securing the backing of another WICB member. (Continued on page 33)
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David Fernandes heads Squash Association The Guyana Squash Association (GSA) recently held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Elections and David Fernandes has been elected to head the association for the next year. The full list of officials handling the management of the association is: President: David Fernandes Vice president: Ronald Burch-Smith Secretary: Vidushi Persaud Treasurer: Garfield Wiltshire Assistant secretary/ Treasurer: Robin Low Chairperson competitions Committee: Tiffany Solomon Chairperson club committee: Raymond Islam Chairperson junior affairs Committee: Juanita Fernandes Meanwhile, newly elected
president David Fernandes intends to spearhead the GSA’s effort of increasing participation in the sport. During this calendar year, Fernandes hopes to stage more tournaments and continue the GSA’s School Programme at the National Racquet Centre which is conducted by national coach Carl Ince. Additionally, Fernandes mentioned that some of the projected highpoints of the 2013 squash year will include Guyana’s participation in the 2013 edition of the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Squash Championships in Trinidad and Tobago. Guyana currently has an unprecedented streak of eight-straight overall titles at the Junior CASA Championships which will be held in July. Guyana will also be hosting the 2013 Senior CASA Championships from August 10-18th.
David Fernandes At present, the GSA holds its general elections on a yearly basic. The last president of the GSA was Andrew Arjoon who was elected in 2010 before departing from the office this year. Of the eight members elected, only three are new members who were not part of the GSA’s elected executive members last year. Those persons are Robin Low, Raymond Islam and Juanita Fernandes. The Guyana Squash Association continues to be sponsored by Digicel Guyana which has consistently contributed to the association’s success and development of for close to three years.
Thursday February 21, 2013
Carter, Dowrich take Barbados past Guyana BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Ashley Nurse spun a web around Guyana to set up a comfortable five wicket victory for Barbados in their second round Super50 match at Kensington Oval here yesterday. Nurse, an off break bowler, befuddled the middle order to grab top figures of four wickets for 22 runs to help bowl out Guyana for 111 in 40.3 overs. Medium pacer Christopher Jordan snatched three wickets to aid Guyana’s collapse after Jason Holder triggered the demise with two early strikes before the home team cruised to victory at 114 for the loss of five wickets. A decent 37 run partnership for the first wicket offered promise for the visitors after the Bajans won the toss and sent them in. However, two quick wickets in three balls by Holder threw the innings into turmoil. Holder first removed Trevon Griffith for 17, caught at wicket by Shane Dowrich off an outswinger and a few balls later , Rajendra Chandrika, caught at gully by Javon Searles for 14. A third wicket stand between Leon Johnson and Assad Fudadin was Guyana’s best effort to rescue an innings in distress against spin and medium pace. Johnson, top scored with a well played 28 and Fudadin who was run out for 25, put together 44 important runs. But the introduction of Nurse and with help from Jordan spelt more trouble for Guyana as three more wickets fell quickly for the addition of only 19 runs. Johnson, pushing forward, was leg before wicket by Nurse, Steven Jacobs, advancing, was caught at mid-off by Kyle Mayers off Jordan for ten and skipper Christopher Barnwell was brilliantly caught low, left-handed by captain Kirk Edwards at short midwicket off Nurse for nought. Guyana struggled to put any other significant partnerships together and only two batsmen, Johnson and Griffith, surpassed twenty runs. The last five wickets fell for the addition of only 12 runs after they dangled on 99 for the loss of five wickets. Jonathan Carter was unbeaten on 38 and Shane Dowrich 28 not out as Barbados reached 114 for five in 25.1 overs.
Ponting fined for throwing bat ESPNcricinfo - Ricky Ponting has been fined $250 by Cricket Australia for throwing his bat after he was dismissed while playing a domestic limited overs match for Tasmania against Western Australia in Perth. Ponting threw his bat in the air on the way back to the pavilion after he was run out for 95 in a mix-up with the young batsman Jordan Silk, the blade landing a couple of metres in front of him. The incident was captured by the broadcasters’ television cameras. Given that it was Ponting’s first offence in the past 18 months, he was eligible to receive the minimum penalty - an official reprimand. However CA chose to press the case further, calling the disciplinary hearing, at which Ponting pleaded guilty to the charge, and levying the fine. “Although it was Ponting’s first offence in the last 18 months,” A CA statement said, “given the nature of the incident CA objected to the prescribed penalty of an official reprimand for a first time offender of the Code of Behaviour and requested the charge be heard in front of a CA Code of Behaviour Commissioner. “The hearing occurred in Perth this afternoon in front of Commissioner Rob O’Connor. Ponting pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $250.” Ponting’s 95 led Tasmania to a 51-run victory at the WACA ground. He has scored 209 runs at an average of 41.80 in five Ryobi Cup matches this season.
Ricky Ponting
Thursday February 21, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Ramnaresh Sarwan PROGRESS PARK, St. Andrew’s - Recalled West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, seeking a return to form, stroked 90 but it was not enough as Zimbabwe posted a comfortable 77 run victory over a UWI Vice Chancellor’s X1 here yesterday. The West Indies middle order batsman carefully built his innings as the Vice Chancellor’s X1 were bowled out for 269 runs in 48.9 overs after the visitors compiled a challenging score of 346 for seven at Progress Park. Sarwan, a late inclusion in the Vice Chancellors X1, was the mainstay, helping to recover the innings to a respectable
Sarwan misses century as Zimbabwe win total after a poor start at six for the loss of two wickets. Two other significant contributions came from Shai Hope and Shamarh Brooks who scored 43 and 28 respectively. Although Sarwan missed his century by ten runs, the right handed batsman led the consolidation of his team’s innings ahead of the first One Day International between West Indies and Zimbabwe at the national stadium on Friday. Sarwan was recalled for the recent one-day tour of Australia following an 18-month absence from the West Indies side but struggled with the bat, managing just 12 runs from three innings.
Vusi Sibanda
The highlight of the Zimbabwe batting was Vusi Sibanda who top scored with 145 retired. Sibanda reached a brilliant century with a big six over square with Zimbabwe at one stage motoring on to 203 for one off 31 overs. Hamilton Masakadza contributed 56 and Tino Mawoyo 30.The Zimbabwe and West Indies teams will have practice sessions Thursday ahead of their first clash on Friday. Scores: ZIM 346/7 in 50overs; VC XI 269 all out in 48.4 overs. RESULT: ZIM won by 77 runs
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